Phoenix Ashes
by otaku-no-miko
Summary: With every story, there must be a beginning...and an end. (Chapter 5 is up at long last.)
1. Chapter 1

Pheonix Ashes

A Fushigi Yuugi universe deathfic written by otaku-no-miko

Length-no longer than maybe 20 chapters, I hope.

Pairings- Now, if I told you that, it wouldn't be interesting, would it!

Rating- PG-13, overall; G for this chapter. As always, it's Tasuki's potty mouth that gets me in trouble.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. At all. I started this story as a sophomore in high school having trouble scraping the money together for her PSAT; five years later, at the time of this re-write, I work, go to school in my free time, and am in the military for the love of god. I don't have the time!

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Author's Notes: ((updated February 2009))

This is my baby. I've worked my butt off, and I'm finally happy-ish with it. The story has been floating in my head for years, and I hope that you enjoy my brainchild as much as I enjoy writing it!

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"Momma?"

Kajiwara Yui was a patient woman, but right now all she wanted to do was groan. She'd put Yuri to bed an hour ago, yet the little girl kept getting up. First it was for water, then she needed to go to the bathroom, then Yui hadn't given Snuggles-san a goodnight hug…

Of course, it was hard to stay mad at her little daughter; Yuri didn't mean to keep getting up, and Yui knew that she was just antsy, especially since she was starting school the next day. Still, Yuri's stubborn refusal to sleep had a tendency to drive Yui absolutely insane, and she fervently hoped that this habit, like sucking on her thumb, would be one that would fade with time.

"What is it, dear one?"

Yuri yawned hugely, desperately trying to keep her wide brown eyes open. Oh, she was so, so tired; it looked like she could fall asleep standing. Snuggles-san was resting against the floor, one paw in the lush white carpet. Yui shook her head ruefully, kneeling so she was looking Yuri in the eyes.

"You really need your rest, sweetheart. You have school tomorrow."

Yuri nodded tiredly in agreement, eyes half-lidded. "But I really wanted a night-night story. Is that okay, momma?"

Yui looked to the clock over the fireplace; it was already nearly 8. Normally if she or Tetsuya allowed Yuri to stay up this late, the four-year-old was a regular beast in the mornings. Yui had been a child that could stay up until all hours and still be happy come morning – Yuri needed her 9.5 hours of sleep exactly every night just to function like a normal person.

Well, she already isn't getting that…and maybe she'll fall asleep while I'm telling her the story. It's a better idea than sending her to bed every ten minutes.

Picking the child up with an exaggerated 'oof!' and spinning her for a second, Yui headed back to the couch she'd been reading on, pushing the papers she was supposed to have done tomorrow aside to make room. Yuri giggled and hugged her stuffed bear close to her chest, snuggling into the soft fabric and her mother's side. Momma always told the best night-night stories! Momma's stories were about far-off, exciting lands filled with princes and monsters and gods and warriors, while otou-san would just read to her or tell her funny stories about his day. He never ever told her favorite story in the whole world, either, unlike Momma.

"Can you do the 'wari story, Momma? It's my fav'rite."

Yui ruffled the little girl's platinum curls gently. "Silly, you heard the 'wari story just last week."

Yuri visibly deflated, and Yui felt a pang of guilt; she was such a pushover, true, but she couldn't stand seeing her baby unhappy. It was just a silly story after all, no matter how entrenched in her reality it was.

Hugging the small body closer to her own, Yui curled up and rested her head against her daughter's, voice hushed as if in prayer.

"Once, a long, long time ago, when the world was young…"

---

…four gods, each one the equal of the other, roamed their lands. They had all labored over their separate kingdoms for millennia now, raising their small countries and their people to be proud and strong, and protecting them from evil. In the north, the hardy mountain-people lived in their kingdom of ice, while to the south temperate weather and lush forests reigned supreme. In the east lay the most beautiful lakes and streams in all the land, and to the west the proud desert-dwellers sang and danced among the shifting sands. Each empire was known for their strengths and complemented one another, and for a time there was peace.

But one day, envious of the prosperity and beauty of the southern lands, the god of the east grew angry, and lashed out against his brother in the south. A long battle then raged, a bloody and cruel war that spanned two worlds. In the end, the eastern god realized his err and surrendered; all four lands had been devastated by their awful battle, but slowly, slowly began to rebuild.

Unfortunately, the battle caused ripples across the beautiful land, ripples that reached far and awoke many evil and forgotten things, things best left to rest. It took the gods some time to realize exactly what had happened because of their feud, but by then the evil had grown too strong.

Their world, the land they had worked so hard to protect for so many years, was dying.

In one last, desperate attempt to save their home, the gods called out for a miko, a woman strong enough to bind their broken world together again…

---

Hongo Yui was not having a good day.

To start things off, she'd had that…that nightmare again. Kutou was being submerged in water; people were drowning, screaming wordlessly as brackish water filled their lungs and choked off their cries for help. But she could hear them nonetheless.

They were calling her name. These people, they were calling for her to save them…

Tetsuya insisted she ignore the nightmare, that it was just residual stress and shock from her entire adventure in the book nearly three years ago and it would subside with time. Yui disagreed with him – maybe it was because she had actually been there, maybe it was because she was Kutou's miko, but she knew somehow that this dream was real.

They fought over that a lot; then again, they fought over a lot of things.

After that, her best skirt had gotten a huge coffee stain right in the front. She had an interview this afternoon, damnit, and that skirt was the nicest one she owned! Now she would just have to go in her old grey one, which was loose on her and fond of sliding.

Then, to top the entire thing, Tetsuya had called her not five minutes ago from the office to say apologetically that he wouldn't be able to meet her for their anniversary dinner (three years!), and she could have sworn she heard a very feminine giggle in the background before he hung up.

"Meeting with the CEO my ass"…well, unless CEO stands for Cute, Easy, and Oversexed…

Scowling darkly as she swept her blonde hair into a high ponytail, Yui made to toss the cordless phone at the couch before pausing thoughtfully and dialing a new number. If anybody in the world could make her feel better on her off days, it was Sukunami Miaka.

When Miaka answered, she sounded harried and stressed out; Yui didn't know how Miaka managed to have any energy at all, what with Hikari almost three now and a second baby on the way.

"Moshi moshi (Hikari, eat your food, don't throw it on the ground!), Sukunami residence!"

"Miaka?"

Miaka's tone brightened considerably, and Yui could almost hear her smile. "Yui-chan! Oh, Yui, it's been weeks! How are you?"

"I've been better, actually. Tetsuya's being a royal jerk again, but what else is new?"

There was silence on the other line, and Yui knew she had said something wrong, abruptly cutting off the very anti-Tetsuya diatribe she'd been about to give. Miaka had always, always taken her side (since most of the time it was pretty clearly Tetsuya's big head that caused fights), but as she thought about it, it had to tear at her to talk bad about her beloved aniki's best friend. Yui didn't mean to start ranting about her relationship problems…

"But other than that, I'm really doing fine. How about you, Miaka?"

Miaka chattered happily for a couple of minutes about Taka and the new baby ("I'm going in for a sonogram on Monday, I'm so nervous, Yui-chan!"), and Yui smiled, only half-listening. Her happy-go-lucky friend couldn't stay upset for long, and she was glad of that particular trait more than ever right now. For the longest time, she had ignored Miaka's tactful silences and nervous silences (any sort of silences, really) and just used her as a venting mat; then, they'd found that book, and suddenly Yui had seen just how cruel she had really been. Yui would never do that again to her best friend – she'd earn the selfless loyalty Miaka had always shown to her.

"…I know we've both been so busy – you're trying to get into Tōdai, right? – but we should get together and hang out, like we used to. Ever since I had to leave Yotsubudai…"

Miaka had left their high school at the end of the winter term; she'd struggled to stay in school with a toddler, but with a second baby on the way, there was no way she could finish out her high school career as a full-time student, and was now taking part-time classes when she could. "Besides", she was fond of saying, "I don't need to go to school to be a good wife to Taka, now do I?"

Yui, however, was working her way through her third year at Yotsubudai. She was working hard to have a chance to attend the University of Tokyo, which was known as one of the best universities in Japan.

"…are you free today, Yui-chan? I know it's sort of last minute and all, but I thought maybe we could get some coffee or go to the mall or something."

"Hm? Oh, of course, Miaka! I'd love to! How about…hmm…oh, I know, why don't we meet at that little café Taka used to work at – the Pearl Fisher, right? – for some breakfast?"

"That's a wonderful idea, Yui-chan! I'll call Emiko (my neighbor, you remember her? She babysits for me sometimes!) and ask her to watch Hikari, and I'll be right over!"

Yui smiled and nodded, and the two women said their goodbyes. As she set the phone down (gently, this time), her mood was considerably lighter. She would have a blast with Miaka, and she'd ace that interview with Tōdai, ratty old skirt or no. Yes, things were starting to look up.

---

Yui walked to the Pearl Fisher (it wasn't that far from her apartment) and got a table, swirling her tea aimlessly as she waited on Miaka. She'd gotten there within five minutes, but knew it would take Miaka longer; not only was she carrying extra weight around (she was already almost four and a half months along, after all), but Hikari was a fussy and clingy kid who didn't really like leaving her mother alone.

Miaka breezed in ten minutes later, looking out-of-breath, Hikari in tow. The two-year-old was 'dancing' with a plush bear that had definitely seen better days.

Yui quirked a brow at her friend, taking the diaper-bag-turned-purse from her and setting it in the nook beside her. "What happened to Emiko?"

"She had work today – nobody else in the building could watch her." Miaka replied breathlessly. "Hikari, baby, come and sit next to momma, we're gonna spend some time with Aunt Yui, okay?"

"Okay!" The little girl nodded enthusiastically, taking a seat next to her mother and making the stuffed animal wave. "Hi n'antie!"

"Hey 'Kari!" Yui said with a smile that the toddler returned, shaking the bear's paw gently in greeting. Miaka fussed with the diaper bag for a moment before pulling out a couple of books and a second bear (this one looked much newer). Any reply Hikari might have had for her favorite 'aunt' were cut off by the appearance of the new toys, and she happily grabbed for the second bear, which quickly was christened 'Ms. Bear' and married to the other bear.

"Oh, damn, one of these is overdue..." Miaka muttered darkly, inspecting the back of one of the books with a soft sigh. "How've things been, Yui?"

"Pretty hectic; I got that job doing filing at the hospital, and that takes up so much of my free time, it's crazy! Oh, and Sumisu-sensei has been assigning so much homework I'm afraid I'll go insane."

Miaka laughed. "That sounds like Sumisu-san alright! Did you know he tried to tell me I still had to do that big report in his class, because I hadn't left when he assigned it?"

Yui gasped, taking a sip of tea and setting the cup off to the side so she could lean forward. "No way! That's just cruel!"

Miaka nodded, eyes shining with mirth. "I know! This was after he spent five minutes trying to figure out if I was really pregnant, or just lying to get out of school…"

"Honto? Geez, the man's a nut!"

Chattering happily about the hard-nosed teacher's habits, the two women finished their drinks in record time, finally leaving the small café when the other occupants began throwing them dirty looks.

Miaka stopped them on the slushy streetside, this time trying to adjust a very wiggly Hikari's jacket and boots. "Hikari baby, momma can't fix your jacket if you don't – aaah, don't drop that!"

In the toddler's squirms for freedom, she had dislodged the overdue library book and the second bear from the bag and it had flown through the air, bouncing a short distance before coming to a stop. Yui caught them after only a few seconds, shaking the book off and drying it with her scarf, and Miaka smiled gratefully, finally managing to finish with Hikari's bootlaces and straightening.

"I know we planned on just hanging out, but is it okay if we run that to the library first? Knowing my luck, it would be ruined by the end of the day!"

---

The National Library hadn't changed much over the years – it had seen a few renovations and a few catalogue changes, but overall was almost the same as it had been three years ago, when Miaka and Yui had returned a different overdue book.

Yui had volunteered to watch Hikari for the few minutes it would take Miaka to give the book back and pay her small fine – after all, it couldn't be too difficult, right? Miaka had given the toddler her bear back, and she appeared content to play with the bear.

The second her mother had disappeared, though, Hikari had turned to Yui with what she would later swear was a smirk Nakago would be envious of. Without warning, the toddler slapped Yui's free hand and darted for the stairwell with a cry of "You're the oni!", stopping and looking back with a daredevil's grin at the top, the toy bear waving a jaunty hello.

"Hikari!" Yui hissed, watching the child warily; Miaka had told her horror stories about Hikari's games, and Yui had never been very good at onigokko. "You get back here!"

Hikari shook her head stubbornly, still dancing away from her. "Can't – you gotta tag me first."

Oh for the love of…well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I suppose.

Yui made to walk away, checking over her shoulder quickly. Hikari was watching her suspiciously, as if she knew it was all a setup, before coming down the stairs as quietly as she could, stifling her giggles with her scarf.

Gotcha.

Whirling, Yui jumped for the stairs and took them two at a time, swiping for Hikari's arm. With a squeal the little girl had bolted, running straight down the hall and towards the Historical Documents room. Yui had skidded to a stop, eyes wide as she just stared at the sign before racing after Hikari at a full sprint.

"Hikari, stop!" She fairly yelled, and the door shut with a sharp 'click', Hikari's muffled laughter and footsteps her only response. Muttering soft curses that would make a sailor proud, Yui pulled on the handle.

The door was wrenched open from the sheer force of her pull, nearly crashing into the wall as Yui rushed in, searching for Hikari. The child was probably hiding from her among the old volumes, completely and blissfully unaware of the danger that lay inside. If she found the book…well, there was no telling what could happen!

Every aisle she went down was empty. Hikari, she couldn't find Hikari! Where was she?

Finally, in the last aisle, she found her; however, Hikari wasn't hiding, or even trying to. She was staring with blatant curiosity at one of the shelves, young face drawn in concentration and stuffed bear forgotten on the floor beside her. Yui followed her gaze to a brilliant crimson cover, and her mind put the two together just as she was pulling the book down.

"Hikari, no!!"

The two-year-old didn't even have time to blink before her beloved auntie had slapped the book out of her hands, where it landed face-up and open. She began to cry loudly, holding her hand and glaring at Yui as if to ask how she could even consider hitting her. Yui paid him no heed, watching the book with a mixture of fear and apprehension. The pages had begun to glow a soft aquamarine, and she could almost swear that she had heard a distinct rustling, like metal moving and clicking against metal…

Or scales, rubbing against one another.

Yui heard the noise again, and whirled, facing the doorway of the small room, where Seiryuu was quietly watching.

It had been a while since she had seen the dragon god's turquoise scales, which still resembled tiny, sharpened daggers, even while he was relaxed. The harsh, angular head swiveled once again towards her, and two piercing blue eyes stared directly into her own, challenging her.

"Hongo Yui. Seiryuu no miko."

Yui screamed, backpedaling and falling on top of the book. The soft glow intensified to a hot blue-white, and Hikari stopped crying and just watched as Yui's form wavered and disappeared.

-----

Miaka had just finished handing the girl her 2-yen fine when she heard her daughter start to wail, the sobs echoing off of the quiet walls.

"Oh, shikusoooo…" She moaned, thrusting the money and the book into the girl's hands. "Here, keep the change if there is any, I have to go, my little girl's crying."

Without another glance towards the rather-shocked library aide, Miaka was walking away as fast as she safely could, towards her child's cries. She passed the food machines (surely Yui wouldn't have taken her past here!) and took the stairs three at a time, fairly flying around a corner she'd sworn she would never round again. After all, there was only one room at the end of this corridor…

The door to the Historical Documents room was wide open, the hinges squeaking in protest as Miaka gently pushed it aside. Hikari's sobs had stopped, for some reason. What if she was seriously hurt? What if...oh gods, what if she had found the book? What if…

Stop it, Miaka! Think logically. You can only see two of these aisles, so check the rest before you panic. She probably decided to play onigokko with Yui and ran here to get away from her, or something like that.

The mental reasoning did nothing for her nerves, but it did help to keep her from panicking. Walking as fast as she dared, Miaka breezed through the aisles, scanning for her daughter's brown hair or Yui's brilliant blonde.

Finally, Miaka skidded to a stop. Her baby girl was seated on the ground, curled up and hugging something close to her little body, chubby arms wrapped protectively around the object. Her bear, the object she loved more than anything in the world, was abandoned on the floor near her, as if it had been simply dropped and forgotten.

"Hikari, baby, momma's here." She breathed, kneeling and holding her arms out. Normally the toddler would have wasted no time hurtling herself at her mother; today, however, she simply looked up and held a well-worn red volume out to her mother as if the book could explain everything.

"Momma, n'auntie went inside."

-----

The first real thing Yui felt was water, cold and wet as it closed around her eyes and mouth. Her brain took a few seconds to register the fact that she had gone from the library to a lake of some sort before survival instincts kicked in, and she kicked frantically for the surface. Somehow, her frantic kicking was propelling her to the surface more forcefully than she'd ever thought possible.

Maybe those silly self-defense courses actually did some good. She thought bemusedly as sunlight and sweet air replaced the cold water that had surrounded her. Dazed, she could only cough in between deep gulps of air, and barely registered the voice behind her.

"You really have to be more careful na no da, if I hadn't been in this garden you could have been seriously hurt!"

"Next time I plan on falling into this Universe I promise I'll make sure I don't land in the lake." Yui shot back once she was sure she could speak again. Well, at least my wit survived the fall. "Wait, who are you, anyways?"

The stranger offered her a hand which Yui batted away warily, standing on her own and wringing out her sopping jacket. When she looked up, it was to a warm brown eye watching her from a lined and scarred face.

"My name is Ri Houjun, but you most likely know me as Chichiri. You're Miaka's friend ... Yui, right?"

Numbly, Yui nodded.

"I thought so – not many people here have your coloring." The disarmingly high tenor had dropped in tone a good octave or so and become velvety and smooth; Yui was reminded of the student psychologist at Yotsubudai and had to bite back a giggle. "Yui-san, do you have any idea why you might have been brought here? A dream, a vision, anything?"

Yui opened her mouth, about to mention the dream about Kutou and the water, but bit the words back and simply shook her head. What did that dream really prove, anyways? She couldn't make head or tails of it (aside from the obvious message about Kutou being destroyed, which she had figured out after waking up the first time). After all, why would she be dreaming about Kutou in the midst of peace and prosperity?

Chichiri didn't seem to notice her internal musings, instead grabbing her arm and gently pulling her behind him, stopping briefly to converse with what Yui could only guess was a flying midget before heading down a long and incredibly ornate marble hallway.

"Nyan, please get Yui-san some clothing, hers is soaked no da - Yui-san, I think that Tai-Itsukun might be able to help you more than I could; she's most likely to know why you're here na no da."

Yui was already jogging to keep pace with Chichiri's long, quick strides and could only nod breathlessly in response.

"Sure…who's that?"

Chichiri's breakneck pace slowed a bit, and he flushed red under the mask - he tended to forget that not every human could keep pace with him. He was used to traveling with Tasuki, and before that with the other seishi, all of whom had the same heightened endurance he did.

"Sorry Yui-san. Tai-Itsukun-sama is the Creator of this world. She's in constant contact with the four gods themselves. Nothing happens in this world without Tai-Itsukun knowing; I'm sure she'll know why you're here."

Yui really, really hoped he was right.

-----

Sukunami Miaka was not having a good day.

To start things off, she'd only gotten three hours of sleep last night, thanks largely to Hikari's inability to sleep in her own bed and her own horrendous morning sickness (which liked to kick in just as she was falling to sleep). It was only the combination of a lot of caffeine and one of the best footrubs of her life (courtesy of Taka) that was keeping her from murdering anyone and everyone she talked to.

After that Yui had called, and she'd thought that maybe, just maybe, she could get a few hours to act like an actual teenager. Fate must've had it in for her, though, because Emiko was out doing Suzaku-knew-what and Taka had a meeting with some big-shot toy company executives and couldn't watch Hikari for her.

However, Miaka was an optimistic woman above everything else. So what if she'd had a horrible morning? So what if it was slushy and miserable out? Things couldn't possibly get any worse than this!

Then Hikari had stumbled across the Universe of the Four Gods, and things had gotten a whole lot more complicated.

It had taken some time and serious bargaining on her part to persuade Hikari that no, aunt Yui wasn't hiding in another aisle and get the toddler home and down for a nap. After she was sure she was asleep Miaka had wasted no time cracking the book open, her soft whispers echoing through the empty apartment like that of a ghost. Indeed, it did feel like a ghost had entered the room, seeing the book again; it was like seeing a dear friend years after the friendship had grown cold.

Settling herself on the couch, a mug of steaming cocoa in her hand (the snow had picked up to a near-blizzard), Miaka debated calling Taka for a second, reaching towards the phone before shaking her head, settling back into the couch. Not only would he not be happy she had the book again (he was so afraid that it would take her or Hikari again), but he was probably in the middle of his big meeting.

I wouldn't want to ruin his big chance by calling to tell him about a book. Please, Taka, try to understand…I just can't stand not knowing what's happening to Yui, I have to take the risk!

"The Lord of the World, Tai-Itsukun, waited graciously for the Lady Yui and Suzaku Warrior Chichiri…"

-----

Whew! Four thousand words later, Chapter 1 is done! The edits here are miniscule. I changed a couple sentences, fixed a few words, little things. The original author's notes are below...

You guys made it! Funny, I just got into the groove of writing and before I knew it I was where the original chapter ended. I nearly ended up adding chapter 2 to the end of this. Oops.

Okay, for anybody new who's going "what the heck is she babbling about?" – this is a re-write of my story Phoenix Ashes, which is now displayed on this site as The Original Phoenix Ashes and will most likely never be updated again. I did this because a. I want to be able to see my own progress, b. I think it could be interesting for you the reader to see where I came from and where I'm going, and c. I didn't think it would be fair to the nice reviewers I have to just delete their reviews, especially when some of them were really, really detailed.

Oh, and so that I am complying with the rules: The Original Phoenix Ashes will be taken down as soon as I am at chapter 7 in this re-write. Although honestly, at this point it's a different story with the same basic plot, I'd rather not risk getting in trouble.

Anyways, here's the beginning of the sometimes crazy ride that is PA. I hope you enjoy it, and I promise that chapter 2 is coming very soon! ((it's much easier to write when one already knows what's going to happen))

Anyways, until next time!

otaku

PS - this is what I get for only remembering the dubbed version of EikouDen. Small edit to change Hikari's gender.


	2. Chapter 2

Pheonix Ashes

By otaku-no-miko

Chapter 2

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Author's Notes:

((Added February 2009))

This chapter is the largest pain in my ass EVER. It was the way I originally ended this chapter that led me to not update. I wrote myself into an awkward spot. But I fixed it! The original author note is below.

Hey there! Yeah, the grand plans I had for everything kinda screeched to a halt when I got into college. I wanted to write but needed the adjustment time; I know it's not much of an excuse, but it's all I can offer. Anyways, here's chapter 2, which breaks my usual flow and starts immediately with Yui and Chichiri, in Taikyoku-zan. Oh, and thank you to Hydra-Star – of course I remember the very first writer I ever beta'ed for! Her story of the Genbu no Miko is really good by the way, and that's not just my personal bias talking. Anyways, I'll stop rambling; see you at the bottom!

---

Yui could only stare.

Miaka had told her about Tai-Itsukun's palace – how the walls looked like pure marble, and the floors and ceilings crystal; how everything was gold and the rooms were at least five times as big as their own modest bedrooms back home... Somewhere in the back of her mind, Yui hadn't quite believed her friend; it all seemed so extravagant and so outrageous when Miaka spoke of it. But now that she was here, now that she could see everything Miaka had mentioned and more, she knew that there were no words that could possibly hope to capture the absolute beauty and elegance Tai-Itsukun's home embodied.

Chichiri watched Yui's blatant awe out of the corner of his eye, giving her a minute to take it all in. Much of the grandeur had worn off for him years ago, but he still remembered his first trip here (what was it now, almost nineteen years ago?) and how awestruck he'd been. He had never seen anything this grand; and even now that he had served as a royal delegate and visited some of the richest and most regal palaces in the Four Kingdoms, he had to admit that none of them held a candle to Taikyoku-zan.

Yui finally found her voice, surprised that when she spoke it didn't boom richly and bounce off of the walls; even the hallways were large, and she had expected the acoustics to lend a certain strength to everything. Magic, perhaps?

"...is this where you live?"

Chichiri looked down at her and nodded with a small smile. "Hai na no da. Well, I live here most of the time; the rest of the time I live in Eiyou, where I work with the Dowager Empress no da."

"Woah." Yui responded, as her ability to speak finally sputtered and died. Miaka had never mentioned that Chichiri moonlighted as a politician-ambassador. There was silence between them for a moment, before Chichiri spoke again, voice soft.

"So Yui-san, how have you and Miaka-chan been? It's been about ten years since we last heard from either of you no da."

Yui noted the suffix and wrinkled her nose; she wasn't a -san yet, she wasn't even married!

"Please, just Yui; I don't think I deserve that particular honorific yet.

Mi-chan and I have been fine, although it's only been three years for us. Miaka and I are both twenty-one – Miaka's little girl, Hikari, is three now, and she's expecting another child."

Chichiri nodded, trying to hide his suprise. Miaka, a mother! Yes, she'd been pregnant when they'd last heard from her, but he hadn't seen her, so his last memory of Miaka was that of a seventeen-year-old woman.

"I almost forgot about the time discrepancy between worlds no da. It's hard to believe you are both so young still."

Yui had to bite back the urge to snort disbelievingly; after all, as Tetsuya told her repeatedly, she certainly did not act her age. Yui couldn't remember the last time she had actually felt young.

To be honest, Yui almost didn't believe there was a time discrepancy at all; the man she walked next to matched up almost perfectly to her mental notes from years ago. Miaka had told her of a man that looked eternally youthful and cheerful, with bright blue hair almost as friendly and inviting as he was; of power and strength and wisdom that managed to hide themselves beneath the surface unless needed. She remembered seeing him once or twice, a flash of blue that seemed too bright and frivolous to belong to a seishi; yet he had been able to take Nakago's power head-on, she could remember Soi saying.

The man she saw was still fairly youthful, still had that bright mane (now interspersed with dark blue and silver strands), but something in him just felt mature and hardened; she could feel a world-weary sort of sadness and wisdom just underneath his friendly, open face. There was no way to tell just by looking at him that it had been ten long years!

"I'm amazed it's been ten years already here. You were what, twenty-three when I last saw you all those years ago?"

Chichiri nearly laughed. Oh, that was probably the best compliment he'd received in years! I'll have to tell that one to Tasuki-kun na no da; he'll certainly get a kick out of it!

"I was almost twenty-nine, actually, no da. I'll be thirty-eight in a month. Thank you for the compliment though, Yui; I'm flattered."

Yui could hear the controlled mirth in his tone, and looked up at him, a little confused (and, admittedly, a little miffed – she didn't like to be laughed at). "And what, exactly, is so funny, Chichiri?"

"Oh, I'm not sure no da." He replied off-handedly (he recognized that tone, and did not want to get Yui wound up this early in their friendship), gently pulling on Yui's arm so that she wouldn't crash into the large glass doors in front of them; apparently, Yui had forgotten they were still walking. "But you might not want to run into those doors na no da."

"What doors...oh." Yui forgot about her annoyance at being made a fool of – twice! – to stare in awe at the tall frosted glass doors that extended far above her head, seeming to end somewhere in the clouds. This had to be the way to Tai-Itsukun's private quarters; she couldn't imagine any other room having this sort of gradeur.

"So um...this is it, then?"

Chichiri nodded silently, raising one hand almost reverently then sweeping it grandly to the left; the left door opened, and he swore he could hear a soft, quick intake of breath from a surprised Yui, who probably hadn't been expecting magic to open the door. Beyond the door was a fragment of Tai-Itsukun's great mirror...and a small, blue head, bobbing up and down unceremoniously. Where Chichiri and Yui's voices had still been quiet, Nyan's was loud and bright, echoing in the large chamber.

"They're here! They're here! Chichiri-sama and Yui-sama are here! Nyan-Nyan has been waiting and waiting for them to come! Could Yui-sama fix Tai-Itsukun's face?"

"Oh, get out of the way, you overexcitable pixie!" A stern voice snapped from within. "I want to see the two of them, not the back of your skull!"

Nyan made a face, which made Yui smile as the little girl moved out of the way sullenly, revealing a glimpse of what possibly was the most ugly woman Yui had ever seen. She couldn't repress a shudder – the Creator of this entire world couldn't find a more attractive form to take? Chichiri, for his part, didn't even seem to notice it, instead bowing his head in reverence to his teacher.

"Tai-Itsukun-sama. As you've no doubt noticed, no da, the Seiryuu no miko has returned."

"Who do you think summoned her here?" Tai-Itsukun barked, but the caustic reply was softer at the edges, nowhere near as biting as her command to Nyan-Nyan. "Seiryuu no miko, I have to say, it is a great pleasure to meet you finally. I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances."

Yui got the feeling that this visit was another one of the "save the world" variety, and was reminded with a sickening jolt of her dream. Maybe it had been real, after all...

"I wish I knew what circumstances we were meeting under, period."

Tai-Itsukun actually smiled at that, but it was a sad smile. "I'm afraid that these are not happy times, Seiryuu no miko. I know that you and the Suzaku no miko worked hard to try and restore balance to our world, but...oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Here, step closer, child; I have something for you to see. It'll explain things better than I ever could."

Yui looked at Chichiri, asking with her eyes if it really was okay; he nodded, touching her shoulder ever-so-briefly as he moved in step behind her. It gave her a little reassurance as she stepped forward, looking into the giant mirror behind the Oracle, which was now a soft purple.

The mirror was swirling and glowing like molten mercury; it took all of Yui's self-control to keep from touching it and seeing if it really was liquid. Tai-Itsukun was the one that touched it, instead, and the swirling liquid dissipated, the mercurious glass molding itself into a shockingly familiar image...

-----

Miaka jumped about a mile when she heard Taka's key scraping in the door - she'd been so absorbed in reading that she'd almost forgotten where she was. Hearing the lock click and glancing once more to the book, she bit her lip; Taka had made it so clear that he disliked anything to do with the Universe, but now that Yui was back inside, she knew that somebody had to read it to the end. There was nothing either of them could do about it - now that the story had started, it needed to be finished.

"Miaka, Hikari, I'm home!"

Taka slipped his shoes off haphazardly in the hallway, dropping his briefcase and glancing into the family room, where Miaka was seated on the couch. "Oh, there you are itoshii. Where's Hikari?"

"I put her down for a nap earlier; she had a pretty exciting day." Miaka got up and looked her husband over before sighing. "So did I, come to think of it. Love, something happened today, something big."

Taka frowned, his mind almost instantly jumping to scenarios of robberies and near-death experiences that generally remained embedded in his worst nightmares. "What happened? Is Hikari okay? Are you okay?"

"Yes, we're both fine, it's just...you might want to sit down first." Miaka finished softly, motioning to the cushion next to her. Taka joined her, the frown still set in place as he watched his beautiful wife fidget beside him.

Miaka opened her mouth to try and explain everything, but couldn't find the words – it was so unbelievable and so absolutely odd that words just didn't do the last five hours justice. Instead, she grabbed the book off of the coffee table and placed it in his lap. Taka's features went from confusion to understanding and finally fear.

"The Universe of the Four...Miaka, why did you get this?! What if the book takes you or Hikari? What if this entire miko business is hereditary? Itoshii you promised me that you'd never get the book again!"

Miaka resisted the urge to smack him; she loved Taka dearly, but sometimes...!

"I wouldn't go back on a promise to you Taka Sukunami, and you know it! The book didn't want me or Hikari; it took somebody else this time."

Now he was just confused. "Who would it...? Wait – not Yui?"

Miaka shook her head yes. "I've been reading for the last few hours; she's at Taikyoku-zan with Chichiri and Tai-Itsukun."

Taka looked torn – Miaka knew that he cared about Yui a lot (he'd better, at least!), but at the same time he absolutely did not like the book. Finally, he sighed.

"I'll call Tetsuya and let him know – catch me up when I get back?"

-----

Water – water was everywhere. Rain, in torrential buckets, was pouring into the now-submerged temples and homes of all four kingdoms. The brackish waters were dirtied and sludgy with mud and Gods-knew-what else.

The scene melted away and was replaced with the once-grand temple of Seiryuu. The tranquil temple was in ruins now, the long, whiplike tail all that remained of the statue of the beast god himself. It was on this tail that children clung, climbing over one another in desperate attempts to buoy themselves over the ever-rising waters. They were screaming, the sound rising above the pounding of the water in a jumbled cacophony of noise and fear.

"Seiryuu, great Seiryuu, please save us!"

"Seiryuu, where are you? We need you!"

"Why didn't our miko come?!"

"Somebody help us!"

"...s-stop. Please."

Yui was trembling and pale; even Chichiri looked vaguely unsettled, knuckles white against his shakujou. With a wave of Tai-Itsukun's hand, the picture disentigrated, a final chilling scream echoing through the quiet chambers that even the Creator seemed to flinch at.

"...Seiryuu no miko, no doubt your sleep lately has been full of nightmares and images much like this." Tai-Itsukun's voice was uncharacteristically soft, and she looked even wearier and older than usual. "Unfortunately, this is what our world will come to soon, without your help.

This universe was designed with a very simple idea behind it – we'd only take one girl from another world when one country was in peril. Originally this plan seemed to work fine, but we – I – forgot to add in one important factor; the human one.

Kutou and Konan both fell apart at very similar times – they were never meant to, but the greed and corruption of Kutou's emperor and the Konan-Kutou wars triggered the need for both countries to be saved at once, but we'd only planned for and chosen one miko; Yuuki Miaka. You were never meant to enter this world, Hongo Yui – you just happened to be in the right place at the right time, as you would say."

Yui looked, if possible, more pale, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. What exactly did Tai-Itsukun mean by that? She had never asked for the rather horrible events of her teenage years, but she'd always thought that, like Miaka, she'd been chosen; it made the pain and the memories a little more tolerable, somehow. But...was she the reason that this world needed help?

Chichiri didn't need heightened magical ability to know Yui was distressed – the confusion and shock were rolling off of her in waves. He'd never thought the current problems could be connected to the mikos appearing so many years ago. It felt almost unfair to Yui; she was stuck on the messy end of the stick, and he knew that wasn't a fun place to be.

"Tai-Itsukun-sama, isn't that a bit harsh?"

Yui glanced back at him and half-smiled, gratefully, sadly, even as she shook her head 'no'.

"It... makes sense. One miko was what this world got used to; with a second miko, it was a huge stress. This universe just couldn't deal with it."

"Somewhat simplistic but accurate, Seiryuu no miko. We didn't realize at the time that the world was falling apart; we attributed most of the oddities to the land changing, not being destroyed. And now that we do know, it's beyond our powers to repair. This world is dying."

-----

"Moshi moshi, you've reached Tetsuya and Yui; well, you would have if we were home, at least. Leave us a message, though, and we miiiiiight call back! Domo!"

Taka hung up, not bothering to let the machine catch his frustrated sigh. He had no idea where the older man could be, but apparently calling every minute or so wasn't going to get him anywhere right now. Besides, he was antsy about leaving Miaka alone with that book any longer than he had to – who knew what could happen?

The apartment was eerily quiet for a Saturday evening; usually Hikari and Miaka were busy playing and their laughter would fill the entire building. But with Hikari already asleep things seemed more solemn and oppressive – even the air felt heavy.

It's all that damned book. He thought with a hint of anger. Yes, the book had originally allowed him and Miaka to find one another, but that was then. Taka lived for the now. He didn't like the constant reminder it served as, a reminder of a life he couldn't even really remember living. It belonged in memories and the past. He was Taka Sukunami now; Suzaku and all that stuff was over with.

He paused next to the entrance to the living area, watching Miaka's suprisingly still frame. She must have been completely absorbed by the story. Sneaking quietly behind her so as not to startle her, he glanced over her shoulder, and noticed the large wet spots that stained one of the pages, characters running together and melding.

"Miaka? Is everything okay?"

She turned to face him, green eyes red and over-bright. "Taka...she wasn't meant to be there! Tai-Itsukun-sama just said that Yui-chan being there was a m-mistake..."

Miaka looked absolutely miserable, the book forgotten as she flung herself into his arms. They stayed like that for a while, Miaka sobbing while Taka whispered nonsense words of comfort. It was a shock, to say the least – all the pain, all the psychological trauma they both had gone through ... but Miaka at least could look back and know that in the end it was all justified in a way, that it had been worth it. Yui didn't have that anymore.

"Hey, hey, beautiful girl, there's no need to cry. Do you want to take a breather? Get a meal and some fresh air before coming back?"

She shuddered, breathing in deeply to try and calm herself before looking him in the eyes.

"No. Yui-chan doesn't get a break, so neither will I. Remember how Keisuke said that the book didn't progress unless he was reading? The quicker we finish, the quicker we can get her home."

-----

Yui felt oddly calm, all things considered. She was the reason this world was being destroyed, and she had to fix it. It was kind of like a big, important, unexpected project; she had the irrational urge to ask when it was due and if they could have partners.

"So what do you need me to do?"

Tai-Itsukun made another grand gesture, the blank mirror suddenly glowing with fourteen faces, all competing for the center. "We need you to re-gather all of Suzaku and Seiryuu's seishi and summon the gods – recreate what happened fourteen years ago. We up here are weakening, but there's a chance that with the added strength and aid from the seishi, we will be able to reverse what has happened here."

Now she was starting to worry a little. Tai-Itsukun made it all sound so easy, like a neat little math equation; seishi plus summoning ceremony equals saving the world, easy and compact. But there were so many variables and little nuances and what-ifs that it made her head ache! How could she honestly hope to unite fourteen people who most likely hated each other to summon two gods that were constantly at odds before the entire universe collapsed on itself?

"Er, Tai-Itsukun-sama, ma'am ... sir ... person, may I be excused for a moment?"

Yui didn't even wait for a response before bolting for the doors.

-----

"Yui?"

She didn't even turn; she didn't have to. "Chichiri, please, I just need a few minutes."

Chichiri didn't even seem to have heard her, flopping onto the grass next to her and leaning back to watch the sky. "You know, you can always say no, no da."

Yui whipped around to face him, looking absolutely appalled. "I couldn't do that! I'd be leaving you and your entire world to die just because I'm too scared to do anything!"

"We always have a choice Yui."

"Oh, really? Because I sure as hell didn't choose to come here." Yui snapped, suddenly angry. Who did Chichiri think he was, acting like he actually knew her? Nobody knew her; nobody knew or understood what sort of special hell this world had put her through. "Do you think I chose to be nearly raped, then manipulated and abandoned and nearly killed, twice?!"

Chichiri looked at her, face blank for a moment, before reaching up and pulling on his cheek. It came loose with a soft rustle, the porcelain skin and strange smiling eyes giving way to a dark, tanned face, lined with scars. She'd seen his face ever-so-briefly when she fell into this world initially, but hadn't paid much attention. Now, though, she couldn't look away.

The largest (and most obvious) of the scars ran diagonally over his left eye, the dark scab sealing the eye firmly shut. Yui gasped involuntarily; she'd seen bad scars from burn victims or suicide victims, but never one quite like this.

"I didn't choose to have my best friend try to steal my fiancé, causing her to commit suicide out of guilt." He started softly.

"I didn't choose for it to flood that day, drowning him along with everyone else I had ever loved. I didn't choose for there to be a log in that water. I didn't choose to lose my left eye. For the longest time, I was mad just like you. I thought that life and the universe owed me one for putting me through so much pain, and I thought that if I just ran far enough away I could forget. But that didn't work. So, I chose to face the pain head-on, even though it was hard.

I don't deny what happened to you was horrible, Yui-san. Fate can be fickle and cruel. But we all get to decide what we'll do with the life we're given."

Yui looked down, blinking back tears. Her anger was gone now, replaced with a sad weariness. "...I wish someone else had gotten this life, then, because it sucks."

Chichiri shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't undo the past. Neither can you. So how are you going to move forward with this news?"

Yui laughed, bitterly. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it? I can't just leave this world. I couldn't live with the knowledge I'd been responsible for thousands of deaths. So I have to stay."

"You sound angry."

"Because it feels like I've got no choice!" Frustrated, Yui pushed herself into a standing position, pacing. "I feel like I've been drafted. First those nightmares, then being brought here...I never had a choice in the matter."

"But you did, Yui! You were brutally attacked when you were brought here fourteen years ago, I don't deny that. From there, you could have chosen to just go home. You could have chosen to die," He held up one hand, anticipating the interruption, "no, Yui, if you wanted yourself dead you would have succeeded, believe me. But...you didn't. Whatever the reason, you chose to stay here for better or for worse. This book is now linked to you because of that, whether you like it or not. So now we're back to my original question: how are you going to move forward with this news?"

They both were silent for a couple minutes. Yui watched the water ripple and wave. She didn't like this situation at all. She was scared and angry and not at all ready for this. She was still in senior high school, for crying out loud! She was supposed to have an interview with a college today, not try to save the world!

But I have to make it work somehow. I didn't have control over what happened then, but I do now.

Yui took a deep, shaky breath. "I think...I think I can do this."

She turned away from the lake, heading for the large doors to Tai-Itsukun's Inner Sanctum before turning back. "Are you coming?"

"In a moment, no da." Chichiri responded, not looking at her. Yui faltered, starting back towards him before stopping. He would come when he felt like it. And if he didn't...well, she'd figure out a way to make that work, too. He'd given her a little perspective; she could give him a little privacy.

---

Kajiwara Tetsuya was not having a good day.

First, there were those budget reports that somehow, magically, were due tomorrow morning instead of next week. He wasn't even supposed to do the budget reports, but apparently they were now due tomorrow and were his responsibility. The CEO had been kind enough to tell him that, and even mention that his job could be on the line because of his slipshod work so far. He needed this job - after his stint as Keisuke's business partner for an ill-fated restaurant that he now shuddered to think of, he was deep in the red. It was hard to find a good-paying job when you were a college dropout.

Then he'd made Yui mad. He hated making her mad; she was one of the few bright spots in his life. Didn't she realize all his late hours were so he could afford a good home and a beautiful wedding for her? He'd changed everything for this woman! He didn't party anymore, he'd stopped drinking, he was going back to school, he'd made nice with his excuse for a father...sure, there'd been that incident with Naoko, but she'd forced herself on him. And Kisari had gotten him absolutely smashed. He was trying to change, though. Yui didn't see that.

And then, just to add a little more fun to his day, he'd been pulled over. 90,000 yen! He shouldn't have been speeding, but still, he'd never been fined that much before. His father would be furious. Hell, Yui would be too.

Speaking of Yui...Tetsuya paused at the front door, hand on the doorknob. He'd bought lilies (her favorite) on the way home, but...what if she was still angry? Yui's anger was practically legendary among people who knew her.

Be a man, Tetsuya. You can do this.

"Yui? Yui, it's me..."

No answer. That was weird. Yui didn't usually do the silent treatment - it wasn't her style.

Slipping his house shoes on and dropping his suitcase in it's usual spot by the door, Tetsuya made a quick circuit of the apartment. No sign of her anywhere. Heading back into the living room, he made to throw his jacket on the couch, almost knocking over the beeping answering machine.

"Fifteen missed calls. Four new messages." It informed him monotonously. Four messages and fifteen calls?! Geez, he was popular today. Tetsuya hit the Play button.

"Tetsuya? Tetsuya, man, it's Taka. You've gotta call me back, okay, it's really important..."

"Tetsuya, where are you? It's 20:00 already, I know you get off at 18:00. Look, seriously, you have to call me back."

"Tetsuya! God, of all the nights to be a typical salaryman...it's me again, I'll be up all night, call me back as soon as you get home. I don't care how late it is."

Tetsuya gave the answering machine a Look. Three of the four messages from Taka? What was going on? He made to switch the machine off, but the next message stopped him cold.

"Tetsuya, it's nearly 23:00 now. Why the hell aren't you home? Fine, apparently you're pulling an all-nighter, I'll try your cell. It's Yui. She's in the book, so you have to get over here as soon as you can."

He was out the door within a minute flat.

---

Another 4,500 words. That seems to be my sweet-spot in word count. In any event, I added a scene at the end and completely changed the Yui confrontation at the end there.

As you've probably noticed, I use military time. It's used in every other country as normal time, so I'm using it. It's not a hard conversion to do - take whatever the number is and subtract 12 from it and you've got the time. For example, right above it says 23:00. 23 - 12 is 11, so 23:00 is 11:00. It's a little weird, but not too bad.

Tetsuya's ticket is around $1,000 in US money. In Japan, speeding tickets can range anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 yen depending on how fast you were going and how the cop's feeling that night - they're expensive little blighters!

A salaryman is pretty much what it sounds like - a man who basically works and sleeps. In Japan, salarymen are very common, often working until very late and leaving very early.

Original author's notes are below! Oh, and for those curious, I got a low B on that Biology final.

This is a little shorter than my last chapter, but it felt right to stop here, if that makes sense. I hope that this info-dump chapter wasn't too out-there, since it pretty much contains the basis of the plot (little bit important, that). I'm rather happy with the majority of this chapter – I don't like one or two sections, but if I worked on them and continued to be obsessive-compulsive about it I'd never type chapter 3. That would be bad. I'm pretty fond of this story.

Well, I have a biology final in...oh, 10 hours? That gives me two hours to study, six hours to sleep, one hour to freak out, and one hour to pray to whoever's up there that I do well. Needless to say, I'm pretty well booked for the rest of tonight. Hope y'all enjoyed the read!

Until next chapter,

otaku


	3. Chapter 3

Pheonix Ashes

By otaku-no-miko

Chapter 3

-----

**Author's Notes (February 21, 2009):**

This chapter has been so, so long in the making. I was very dissatisfied with the ending of chapter 2 and having trouble starting this chapter from that one. Literally, there was a point where I would sit down _every night_ with both documents open, read the end of chapter 2, start typing, and go "...this is shit. I can't post this on an open forum.". Repeat ad nauseum. It got to where I was disgusted to actually look at this story. And of course on the DAY I finish it, Fanfiction decides to take a 5-day dump...that's my luck, isn't it?

Add in some personal drama the size of Rhode Island, and well, that's all excuses, point is I'M BACK. I'm sorry for the long wait, I hope this chapter is worth it. See you at the bottom!!

-----

Tetsuya was at the Sukunami residence within fifteen minutes. The door opened almost before he could knock.

"Tetsuya-kun, where've you been?"

Miaka looked tired and more than a little harried.

"Miaka." Tetsuya nodded, his eyes focusing past her, to Taka and the small book in his hands. "I was working late and I ended up getting delayed on the way home and...where's Yui?"

She slumped a little more then, but opened the door a bit wider, Tetsuya squeezing through the hole left. Taka was just beyond the entryway, pacing as he read. He looked up when Tetsuya began slipping his shoes off.

"Tetsuya, dude, you chose the wrong day to become a salaryman."

"How long has she been there?"

Miaka answered him. "Since about 11:00. I couldn't start reading until around 15:00 though. According to the book-world, it's been almost a day now."

Tetsuya took this in quietly, shoe still in hand.

"...why is she there?"

---

"You're here, Hongo Yui, because you have a unique connection with the gods."

Yui glanced up from the tea cradled in her hands. "What do you mean? Because I was both Seiryuu and Genbu no miko?"

Tai-Itsukun nodded.

"Precisely. You have a stronger bond to the four gods than most mikos do, if only because you've been a miko more times than any other human."

"But...I don't understand. If summoning a god is what started this mess, how would another summoning fix things?"

Chichiri spoke up from the doorway. "Tai-Itsukun-sama believes that it is only through a summoning we can have any hope of reversing the damage done to this world no da. The gods are all-powerful, but unless summoned cannot do anything to alter the path this world takes; that would interfere with free will, which is something they cannot do."

To Yui, this idea seemed strange. A god, having no control over it's world? _They must take free will very seriously, to deny themselves any power at all over their lands..._

She looked back to the mirror, to the jumble of unclear faces. A little boy with dark-brown hair, a little girl with hair so black it practically looked purple...none of them resembled seishi to her. Then again, though, Tai-Itsukun had said these were reincarnations. It made sense that they would look different.

"Do you know where they are, at least?" The blonde nodded towards the mirror behind Tai-Itsukun. The old woman shook her head.

"The reincarnated children have been scattered over these lands. I can give you an item that will react whenever a seishi is near, but that's all the power I have."

Chichiri was glad again for the mask, which only showed vague puzzlement instead of absolute incredulity. In a land of millions Tai-Itsukun expected them to find twelve adolescents? Sure, he could sense ki, and the item Tai-Itsukun would give them would be of use, but it still seemed like a rather daunting task.

Unfortunately, while Yui might not have been able to divine all that information from Chichiri's expression, Tai-Itsukun could - after all, she had spent years training him. She sent her pupil a withering look, one that made him shrink against the wall. "Do you want the help or not, Suzaku no Chichiri?"

Chichiri looked pleadingly to Yui for help, and she sighed quietly. Somehow Chichiri was reminding her of Miaka, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.

"Tai-Itsukun-sama, I'm sure he meant no disrespect. We're both a little exhausted, this has been a lot to take in. How about we meet with you in the morning and try to figure out a plan of attack?"

Tai-Itsukun seemed to know exactly what Yui was doing, but waved her hand in dismissal anyways. "Nyan will show you to your chambers, then."

The ever-gregarious little sprite appeared instantaneously, weaving and bopping in the air around Yui's head gleefully. "Let's go, let's go! Follow Nyan, Nyan show you the way!! Come, come, come!"

Laughing now, Yui allowed Nyan to practically drag her out of the room, Chichiri bowing low before following them. Tai-Itsukun watched their departure with a slight pang of remorse. This wasn't a responsibility mortals should have had to deal with...

-

Yui managed to free her hand from Nyan's deathgrip after a few tries, rubbing her wrist a little ruefully before turning around to look up at Chichiri, still smiling.

"So you decided to come with me, then."

"Saa..." Chichiri looked a little sheepish, and Yui laughed.

"I'm glad. And...thanks. I don't know what exactly I can do to help but I have to try."

The monk sighed as Yui's attention was caught once again by Nyan, who was now trying to open the door. In her excitement, the little pixie kept forgetting to undo the door's latch, and was trying with all her might to pull open a locked door. Yui was trying unsuccessfully to help - somehow she had managed to miss the fact that it was locked.

To be honest, this entire quest was something he would have much rather avoided. He knew his friends had been reincarnated, and he could have seen any one of them at any time if he chose, but...the memory of Mitsukake looking up at him quizzically, asking who he was, was painful. One of the seishi he'd been closest to treating him as a complete stranger...

It would be nice to see his friends again - he'd missed them dearly. But he'd never, in all his thirty-eight years, wanted to see another Seiryuu seishi. Chichiri considered himself a fair sort, but he couldn't forgive them for killing the people dearest to him, even if his seishi brothers had been reincarnated. The gods may have seen it fit to exonerate the Seiryuu seven but he hadn't. Not yet.

Still...if he'd understood Tai-Itsukun right, this world would collapse upon itself if they didn't at least try. As a seishi, he couldn't just stand aside and let everything fall to pieces if there was a chance he could fix it, no matter his personal scruples.

Knowing the logic behind it didn't make him any happier though. Chichiri shook his head, waving one hand dismissively to open the door for Nyan. All this circular thought was starting to give him a headache! He'd sort out his own personal demons in time.

"Yui-san, my room's at the end of the hall if you should need me, no da. Oyasumi."

Yui poked her head back out of the doorway, nodding. "Oyasumi, Chichiri. And...thanks again."

The last sentence was said quietly, but Chichiri still heard. He didn't look back, or acknowledge her, but he did smile.

---

Miaka grabbed for the can of soda in front of her, chugging it down and passing the book on. Once they'd gotten Tetsuya up to speed, the three had moved to the living room, where they had formed an informal line - Miaka would read, then Taka would take over for her, then Tetsuya would take over for him, and so on. Taka grabbed the book, looking for the spot Miaka had left off at. He shook his head at some of the translation mistakes she had made (Miaka's Chinese wasn't the greatest) before continuing.

" 'The next day dawned bright and warm, and the Lady Yui and Suzaku seishi Chichiri prepared for the long trip ahead of them'..."

---

"There's no way you're getting me on that thing." Yui stated, arms crossed over her chest. Chichiri sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's a two-day walk down this mountain - we'd go much faster on horseback no da, and we'd be able to carry more besides."

Yui wrinkled her nose in distaste, taking the pommel of the saddle in one hand and pausing. "I really don't like horses, Chichiri..."

Chichiri helped her into the saddle, handing her the reins. "You could always ride with me, no da. I don't mind."

"I may take you up on that offer later."

Tai-Itsukun appeared from the palace just then, holding a strange glass ball in her hands. The globe glowed with a soft red light, the character "sho" lit up in brilliant crimson on it's surface. Yui frowned, looking at the symbol. What the heck did 'well' have to do with anything?

Chichiri, now on his own horse, answered her question for her. "That's my seishi symbol. I'm guessing this is the item you mentioned, Tai-Itsukun-sensei?"

Tai-Itsukun nodded, gesturing for Yui to take the globe from her hands. "This will light up in response to a seishi's ki signature nearby and warming the closer you get. As you can see, it currently senses Suzaku no Chichiri, and the globe is warm to the touch, signifying that he is close by."

Yui made a face as she took the globe and promptly burned herself - warm to the touch, indeed! Gingerly placing the item in her saddlebags and cradling her still-painful palm, she turned back to Tai-Itsukun.

"But I'll be surrounded by seishi the entire time; how will I ever find one if it just shows me Chichiri's symbol?"

"Suzaku no Chichiri's signature is still new to the globe; after a few hours, it won't be, and the globe will return to a blank state."

_So it's like a very slow computer, then - it takes time for it to process information. In any event, it's still useful!_

Yui was distracted by the odd shuffling dance her mare was doing, shifting dangerously in the saddle. She grabbed for the reins clumsily, feeling the other two's attention shift to her. That was slightly embarrassing...

"I suppose that means we should get going no da. Tai-Itsukun-sensei?"

Tai-Itsukun nodded, standing a slight distance back from the two large animals. It was almost like she was afraid of horses too, Yui noted quietly, holding back a smirk. The thought of a diety actually being afraid of something was funny.

"Yes, Suzaku no Chichiri. You two will want to get going - if you ride hard today, you can reach Chokou by nightfall. Be wary of the highwaymen at the foot of the mountain, they've grown troublesome of late."

Chichiri's face was an odd mixture of seriousness and calm, the mask itself completely blank. It was, Yui decided, very strange-looking.

"We'll be careful, Tai-Itsukun-sensei." He managed a half-bow from the saddle, an impressive feat, before turning to Yui. "Are you ready no da? It's going to be a tough ride."

"Yeah, I think so."

Tai-Itsukun waved the two towards the grand gates. "Go, then! Return here when you've found the other seishi to perform the ceremony. May Suzaku lend speed to your feet, and may Seiryuu lend clarity to your thoughts."

This time, it was Yui who attempted a bow, and nearly fell off the horse for her troubles. To their credit, neither Tai-Itsukun or Chichiri commented, and Chichiri led Yui out the gate, towards the winding, thin path that would lead them to Chokou.

---

Taka grabbed for a cold piece of pizza, handing the book over to Tetsuya, who looked once at the pages before shaking his head, passing it back to Miaka. Miaka wasn't expecting this, stopping mid-bite to give him a perplexed look. She didn't mind reading, but it wasn't her turn yet...

"I actually can't really read this...pretty much at all." Tetsuya admitted sheepishly. "I'm guessing at every third word, to be honest...hey, why don't we call Keisuke?"

"Onii-chan?" Miaka wondered, taking the book and pausing thoughtfully. "Well, he _is_ a Chinese History major, and he read it last time...but wouldn't he be asleep by now?"

Tetsuya smiled wryly. "Ah, Miaka-chan, the night is young! Besides, he's addicted to that new MMORPG, he'll be up for a couple more hours at least. I'll call him and get him over here - let me know if something serious happens."

---

Yui was surprised to find she was fairly comfortable on the horse's back, if not incredibly jolted and bouncey. Chichiri hadn't really spoken much, instead concentrating intensely on the road ahead of them as if he expected bandits or demons or any number of Bad Things to jump out at them any second.

"Hey, Chichiri-san!" she called out, amused when he practically jumped off his own horse. He whirled to face her (well, whirled as best he could while seated and moving forward), looking more than a little frazzled.

"Yui, you frightened me no da!"

"Sorry." She replied, although her tone made it clear she only half-meant it. "How much farther do we have to go, anyway? I thought Tai-Itsukun said we'd make it by nightfall."

"Saa..." There was the phrase he'd used last night, and Chichiri even looked a bit sheepish. That couldn't be good. "I'm not exactly sure. I normally don't travel by horseback, and when I do I'm with a legion of guards, so they take over the directions."

"We're _lost?!_" Yui couldn't keep her voice down, and they both winced as her shriek echoed off the trees. "Chichiri! It's nearing sundown!"

"Yui-san, shhh! I'd rather not find any highwaymen or slavers!" He shot back, actually looking a little scared (mostly for Yui, honestly - she stuck out like a sore thumb, and would be a much more attractive target). "We're close to the village, I know we are, I just don't know exactly where. I've been trying to get my bearings, but it's been a while..."

He trailed off unexpectedly, and Yui opened her mouth to ask why when he suddenly spoke, the words a hard order.

"Yui, ride. Ride hard, ride fast, and just keep going as straight as you can!"

She gave him a look, brow raised quizzically. "Chichiri, why..."

The mage ignored her, opting instead to throw his arm out to the left, prayer beads held securely in his right hand. A reddish light emanated from his form before ricocheting out in a vermillion dome, several cries of surprise springing up from behind them. Yui bit down on a scream of her own. Highwaymen!

Her horse hadn't been doing well with the raised voices and increasingly tight hold Yui had on the reins, but the bright light show was the final straw. With a whinny, it bolted, it's rider managing to hold on for a few seconds before sliding off. She rolled as she hit the ground with a soft 'thud' before laying completely still.

---

Taka let out a surprised yell when Miaka jumped almost completely off the couch, the bottle of water (they'd polished off all the soda) she'd been holding now on the ground.

"Miaka?!"

She looked pale. "Taka, get Tetsuya in here now. Yui just got thrown off a horse."

Taka needed no more prompting - he was up and headed to the kitchen by the time Miaka had said 'thrown', and a few seconds later was pulling Tetsuya (still on the phone) in by one arm.

"What, guys? I'm talking to Keisuke, he wants me to pick him up - "

"It's Yui." Miaka interrupted; she was working on the new characters that had popped up on the page. "She just got thrown from her horse, and some highwaymen caught up to her and Chichiri."

---

Chichiri didn't curse very often - he didn't see the use in it. When he got upset, he didn't need to use words to try and quantify what he was feeling, or to blow off some steam; he could meditate, or fish, or practice his kata...

Now, though, he did curse, using several colorful phrases that Tasuki would have raised a brow at. The light show had been just that - a light show. It wasn't designed to hurt or disable, only to frighten. He had hoped that the sight of a seishi glowing with power would be enough to scare their followers off, or at least to daze them for long enough that he and Yui could get a head start.

Granted, he'd not realized that the mare Yui had been given was so prone to bolting. He had trained Tai-Itsukun's mounts himself to try and get them used to magic! Now she was starting to groan a little in pain, reaching up to feel her neck gingerly.

Slipping off his own horse, Chichiri reached for his shakujou, holding it aloft warily. Their attackers would be here soon, and he wasn't sure if Yui was okay...

"Well, well, lookit what we have here, boss."

There were six of them (_six to one, I don't like these odds._), all armed with several sharp implements that looked fairly dangerous. The apparent leader looked somewhat familiar...

"I remember you." Chichiri finally managed. "Eiken. Why are you here no da?"

"The money's better, and I don't have to worry about prissy little boys with sticks up their asses." He shot back; Eiken was still the same blob of a man, but with a weapon he actually looked like he could be intimidating. "Don't think I'll be giving you a discount for knowing me, though. Toll through here is high, monk."

"I have no money no da." Chichiri lied. He had a handful of ryo, but it was just enough for a night at an inn and the borrowing of another horse, if needed. "I _am _a monk, after all."

"Aww, that's too bad; y'see, if we can't get actual money, we take it out of our clients themselves." Eiken's voice was nonchalant, but Chichiri could see victory hiding behind those watery eyes. "I wonder how much the girl could fetch?"

Somewhere behind him, Yui suddenly cried out, and Chichiri didn't need to turn to know she was being restrained. He was getting tired of playing, now.

"Look, no da, I don't want to have to hurt any of you..." he started, before Eiken cut him off with a laugh.

"Like you could. You had all your little seishi friends with you last time - now, you're all alone."

Chichiri's good eye narrowed. He wasn't very prideful, but he'd worked hard for the last _twenty years _to hone his powers. He was a powerful mage and a fair fighter, and was justly proud of that. Besides, his status as a monk didn't make him defenseless!

Still, he might as well use that to his advantage. With an over-exaggerated sigh, he held his hands out, looking defeated. "You've got a point no da..."

Eiken laughed, stepping nearer as he did to taunt the mage. "Damn straight I do!"

_Gotcha no da._

Quick as lightning, his staff was firmly back in hand, and with a sharp jab to the left, the butt of the staff rocketed across Eiken's face. Off-balanced, the bandit stumbled a couple of steps, and Chichiri used the opportunity to pinch the carotid artery with his free hand (considering how heavy Eiken was, he was lucky to have found it). Eiken never had a chance - he hit the ground with a thud, deathly still.

The other bandits looked fearful, and Chichiri whirled the staff once, twice in front of him before bringing it to rest behind his back, free hand forward and beckoning. Okay, now he was showing off a little.

"Still, I have picked up a thing or two na no da."

One of the bandits looked ready to take him on, but the other one pulled at his arm, already starting to run. "Dude, no way in hell I'm getting my ass kicked for a few ryo. Come on, it's not worth it!"

The two in front of him retreated, and when Chichiri turned, it was to a bewildered Yui - apparently her captors had been frightened off by his show already.

Yui blinked a couple times. "How in the _hell_ did you..."

"Lots of practice." Chichiri replied, catching his mare's reins and giving her a pat - his horse, to her credit, just looked bored. "Let's find your mount, shall we?"

Speechless - how many more secret talents did Chichiri have, anyway? - Yui could just nod, following the mage wordlessly in the direction her horse had gone.

---

The sun sat low and fat on the horizon, but luckily they were out of the woods now. Yui's horse still hadn't been found (Chichiri's theory was the animal had, after calming down, headed back to Tai-Itsukun's palace), and they were now in the middle of a heated debate over who would have been first to reach the treeline had they both still been on horseback.

"Yeah, my horse was flighty, but she was _fast_. I could have beat you with my eyes closed." Yui shot to Chichiri, looking incredibly smug from her position atop his mare. Chichiri favored her with a wry smile.

"But I'm the better rider of the two of us no da. I could have won through sheer horsemanship."

Yui laughed, looking ahead to the village in front of them. "Right, just keep telling yourself that. So, this is Chokou?"

Chichiri nodded, serious again (Yui would have to ask him about these mood changes, they were starting to give her whiplash). "Yes. It's not a large village, but there is a fairly good-sized inn and a good stable here. We can find you a replacement mount in the morning and be on our way to the capitol."

Before Yui could reply, her stomach did for her, rumbling loudly. Chichiri laughed outright, and Yui just glared, feeling embarrassed.

"So this inn would have food, I hope."

Chichiri just shook his head in response, shoulders still shaking with mirth.

-----

Miaka let out a whoosh of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding, giving the book back to Taka. "Your turn. I need to get my heartrate down after that. Geez, how Keisuke made it through this without getting a heart attack is beyond me..."

Taka started to respond before stopping to think. "...you've got a point, y'know. Anyway, speaking of Keisuke, he and Tetsuya should be here soon. Want to take five real quick?"

Miaka shrugged, but she still looked a bit upset. "I guess, but I don't want to stop reading. Not yet, at least." She yawned, suddenly, and looked to the clock. "Dear gods, it's almost 3 in the morning. Are we skipping work tomorrow?"

"You'll have to call it in; I had tomorrow off originally anyway. The guys might not stay."

"Oh, no _way_ am I leaving, Yui's in there!"

The new voice came from Tetsuya, who was in the entryway struggling with his long overcoat (winter in Japan wasn't something to be taken lightly). Keisuke was behind him, eyes bloodshot. Miaka's face split into a wide grin, and she barreled over to her older brother, catching him in a bonecrushing hug.

"Onii-san!"

Keisuke returned the gesture half-heartedly. "Miaka, I'm barely awake and can't breathe. Why you felt the need to discover an ancient text and not tell me until the buttcrack of dawn, I'm not sure..."

Taka had taken the aforementioned text back up and had been reading quietly during the interlude, but suddenly spoke up. He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. "Guys, guys, Yui just found another seishi!!"

-----

"Sir, I'm to show you to your rooms. Please, follow me."

The boy bowed, looking nervous at the prospect of actually meeting and speaking to a Suzaku Seishi. Chichiri, for his part, was puzzled - something about this boy's ki signature seemed familiar, and he couldn't quite place it...

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Yui spoke up (Chichiri reminded himself to thank her later). "Thank you, um...Chosei, right? I'm sorry, my companion's a little worn out from traveling..."

The boy, for his part, simply looked pleased to be remembered. "Yes, ma'am. No problem; if you two just came down from the mountain, that's understandable. If I may, where are you two headed? If you were returning from a pilgrimage to see Tai-Itsukun-sama, you'd have taken the North road."

"I'm sure we were, at some point." Yui muttered, shooting a pointed glance at Chichiri. Chichiri caught the glance and pouted - it looked strange, the downturned, upset mouth with the mask's smiling eyes. "We're going...well, I'm not sure. The capitol is our first stop, I think. We're trying to gather se-aaaaah! What was that for?"

Chichiri, who had just stepped squarely on Yui's foot, looked innocent. "Gomen no da. I should pay better attention to where I'm going. Chosei-kun, is this the door to the room?"

"Oh, yes. Both beds are made up already, and my okaa-san already sent your things up. If you need anything else, just call for me - I'm usually around here." Chosei bowed once more, blue eyes honest and bright. "Good night, Chichiri-sama, Yui-sama!"

Yui stiffened immediately, forcing herself to calm down before entering the room. That particular honorific had way too much baggage attached to it. _Well, at least I'll only be seeing him once more, at most...too bad, he was a pretty nice kid._

"Chichiri, why'd you step on my foot? I think there's permanent damage now..." She was whining, yes, but it had _hurt_!

He turned to face her, and she realized that at some point he'd decided to remove his mask. Strange...then again, he probably didn't sleep with it on - Yui couldn't imagine that would be very comfortable.

"Yui-san, I realize that the people of Konan are mostly good-hearted, but we still shouldn't go around announcing our mission to every stranger we meet. That young man seemed oddly familiar for some reason, and I don't know if that's good or bad yet."

"Well, I thought he seemed trustworthy." Yui retorted, rifling through her saddlebags for the change of clothes Nyan had provided her. "Besides, if you can't trust a twelve-year-old, who can you...whoa, Chichiri, I think we've found someone."

The blonde held the glowing red globe aloft, the leather she'd wrapped it in earlier partially concealing the crimson character within. After a few seconds of careful manuevering, she managed to hold the glass ball in such a way that she could see the entire character without burning herself.

" 'Chariot'?"

-----

-----

*bounces* Guess who guess who guess who! =D I know, it's not difficult, but I'm happy to finally introduce him - he's one of my favorites. I really, really wanted to finish this scene, because the interactions are delicious, but couldn't see a feasible way to do it and segue into next chapter semi-smoothly. I'm also trying to stay consistent with the original and the pacing I had going there, so that's another challenge - if I'd continued I would have technically gotten past where I was at this point in chapter 3 originally. ((This is where my old reviewers go "but what about Chiriko?" and I just sheepishly laugh and change the subject.))

To be honest, I feel like I'm losing the characterization of some of these guys. I don't want them to sound like me, but they end up that way anyway, and it's a little disheartening, because I'm trying quite hard to avoid that.

I worked harder than I really feasibly should have on that dumb fight scene. It lasted _maybe _half a page and I agonized for nearly an hour over it. The carotid artery (well, arteries) are found roughly on the sides of your Adam's apple - they supply blood and oxygen to the brain. If one is hit hard enough, it can cause loss of conciousness.

I nearly forgot! There's a couple things in here I need to explain. The phrase Chichiri keeps using, "saa", is a rather useful little Japanese colloquialism that basically means "yeah, I've got an answer, but I'd really rather not share it right now". It's a very cool phrase, and very Chichiri, so I plan on using it. Also, highwaymen are simply thugs that hang around pathways and routes and force you to pay a toll to pass. Similar to a bandit, but not exactly.

Oh, I had one little review; I'll be sure to e-mail my response to you, dear. Rather not have Fanfie Nett get mad at me now =] In any event, please, feel free to review if you want, and until next chapter, I remain

otaku


	4. Chapter 4

Pheonix Ashes

A Fushigi Yuugi universe deathfic written by otaku-no-miko

Length-no longer than maybe 20 chapters, I hope.

Pairings- None so far... ;)

Rating- PG-13, overall; G for this chapter.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Fushigi Yuugi; all rights, creative and otherwise, belong to Yuu Watase and her companies.

---

Author's Notes: ((March 18, 2009))

Wow, two chapters in a month?? Is it even possible? Crazy, I know, but it's actually happened - Kristen is getting her butt down to work on her fanfic! ((Actually, I wanna get as much done for you guys before I go away to boot...))

This chapter was a little weird to work with, because I did cut out meeting Chiriko (you'll meet him later, he's a delightful little guy) and have them go straight to meeting Chosei. But no worries, it worked out well, although it's a little shorter than the other chapters. It's very character-intensive and not very big on action, I'm afraid - I can't have a bandit attack _every_ chapter after all, that'd get boring after a while. Next chapter will start getting more action again, though!

As always, there's more at the bottom, so see ya there!

---

---

Chichiri had been unrolling his blankets when Yui had started to talk; when she mentioned the symbol in the globe, though, he froze, a strange mixture of apprehension and happiness hitting him hard.

_Chariot...that's Mitsukake-kun! Does that mean that young boy...?_

Yui was waiting silently behind him - she knew her own seishi and their symbols well, but very little about the Suzaku seven beyond names. When Chichiri didn't make a move after a minute or so, she cleared her throat, and the mage jumped a little before responding, shaking his head as if to rid it of something.

"Chariot was Mitsukake's symbol no da. He must be in this village somewhere."

_Now_ they were getting somewhere! Yui closed her eyes, thinking back to Miaka's descriptions of her seishi. Mitsukake...Miaka had said he was very tall and very quiet - the kind of guy that stood out in a crowd without meaning to. She'd said he was kind and selfless, and his power was the amazing ability to heal anybody to near-perfect health.

"Mitsukake? The healer? He'd be useful to have around. So what do we do now? Just go around the village asking if people have weird tattoos anywhere on them?"

Chichiri broke out of his internal reverie, amused at the idea; it sounded like something Miaka would have suggested.

"We certainly _could_ do that, I suppose, but you forget that I have seishi powers myself."

"Right." Yui said, feeling a little dumb. She _had_ forgotten about his seishi powers, actually; she'd gotten a little over-excited at finding a second seishi so quickly. "Well, then, where is he? Or she, I suppose..."

"He no da." Chichiri corrected automatically, closing his mind and concentrating on the thin line that had always connected him to his seishi brethren. Finding seishi was much easier than finding regular people - he already had a link of some sort to them - but it still wasn't easy work. One had to wade through the other ki signatures of other minds and concentrate hard on one, solitary point of light that often was hard to see...

There! Mitsukake was very close by - his ki burned hot and bright in Chichiri's mind, and he focused a little harder, forcing the details surrounding the sixth seishi to come into view. A small, hard pallet, in a room that was fairly nondescript...the scent of stale air and old musty blankets...a long, tall mirror that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, through which Chichiri could 'see' a boy of twelve or thirteen. He concentrated a little harder, and could almost make out a face --

"Chichiri?"

Yui shook him, and Chichiri jolted back, blinking a couple times. Yui's face was much closer now, and she looked pale and worried.

"I kept trying to get your attention, and you didn't respond. What were you doing?"

He had to take a couple seconds to calm himself down - he'd almost seen the person they were looking for! - before speaking.

"I was following Mitsukake-kun's ki signature, no da. He's very close by - possibly even in this building or the next. He's in a room with a large mirror."

Yui looked thoughtful. "Well, this _is_ an inn, so most of the nicer rooms have mirrors...but I'm sure that if we went to the innkeeper she could tell us who's in those rooms."

Dusting off her hands, as if to finalize things, Yui stood and headed towards the door, stopping to look back when Chichiri didn't follow her immediately. "Well?"

---

"A seishi? In my inn?" The innkeeper, a slight young woman with a clear, honest face and bright blue eyes, looked amused. "Why, that _would _be quite the honor, but I'm afraid not. Other than yourself, Chichiri-sama, there aren't any seishi that I know of around this area -"

"Mother, what are you _saying_?!"

Chosei, the boy they'd met earlier, had long neglected his work and now spun to face them, astonished. "You _know_ that's not true! I -"

"Chosei, that's quite enough out of you." She responded sharply, a little harsher than she probably needed to be. "You're incredibly out-of-line, speaking to your own mother that way."

Chastised, the boy turned back to his work.

"...father would have told the truth."

He said it quietly, but his voice carried, and Yui and Chichiri watched the innkeeper's face go from anger to despair to anger again. What was going on here?

"I'm sorry; my son is still grieving for his father." She said off-handedly, as if that could explain their strange exchange. "We both have had it rough ever since -- well, I'll not bore you with my life's story. I wish I knew where this seishi you're sensing was; you may have better luck speaking with the local doctor. He knows everyone in this village quite well."

Yui opened her mouth to disagree - it was _so_ obvious the innkeeper was lying through her teeth, or at least not telling the full truth! - but Chichiri nudged her, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. _It's not worth it_, he seemed to be saying.

"Thank you for your help, Myano-san. We'll go ask him right away."

With one last look at the young boy behind the innkeep (who was studiously ignoring them), Chichiri and Yui left.

-----

"What?!"

Tetsuya's cry was incredibly loud for 5am, and his companions shushed him violently. He calmed a little, but still looked confused.

"Why didn't they ask about that boy, Chosei? He's gotta be Mitsukake!"

Both Taka and Keisuke stopped for a second to think about it, but it was Miaka who answered the question immediately.

"Didn't you hear how upset his mother was? She already lost her husband, and her son is a seishi - that means one day he'll leave her too, and go off and do dangerous things that could lead to _his_ death as well. And now some strangers come up asking about seishi in the area? She probably panicked. They'll need to get confirmation from the village doctor that Chosei is the seishi so they can confront her and try to resolve the issue."

Tetsuya blinked. Where did Miaka come up with _that_? Almost as if she knew what he was thinking, she smiled sheepishly.

"I know that's how I'd react, at least. Anyway, is it my turn to read, or is it Keisuke's?"

-----

Yui, in the book, had almost the exact same reaction as Tetsuya. As soon as they were out of the innkeeper's hearing range, she rounded on Chichiri.

"That woman was lying to us. Or hiding something. And her son knows something - heck, her son might even _be_ Mitsukake, that would explain your weird feeling earlier!"

Chichiri nodded his agreement, but continued walking towards the doctor's home. Yui ran a couple steps to catch up.

"Why are we still going to the doctor, then?"

Chichiri shrugged. "The innkeep suggested we visit him na no da. It may not be a bad idea."

Yui frowned. _That _made no sense. They knew who the seishi was, and where he was - logic dictated that they needed to go to the seishi, not away from him! For all they knew, Chosei's mother was already whisking Chosei away to some far-off place where they wouldn't be able to find him.

Seeing Yui's confusion, Chichiri continued. "Myano-san doesn't want to tell us all she knows right now. We need to regroup and find out why no da. Once we know a little more about why she was upset, we can figure out a way to have Chosei come with us."

They'd reached the home by this point, and Yui rapped softly on the door. A teenaged girl opened it, poking her head out.

"I'm really sorry, but otou-san just closed up the clinic a few minutes ago."

"That's okay, we're not sick." Yui assured the girl. "We just want to talk to your otou-san for a few minutes, if that's okay."

"Oh!" The girl looked surprised. "Um, okay, that's no problem. Would you like to come in while I get him?"

---

"Mother, you're being unreasonable!"

Myano Ai crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I didn't raise you to talk that way to your elders, Chosei, _especially_ not to me."

Chosei looked sullen and uncompromising, blue eyes flashing. "I'm not being disrespectful, I'm being honest. They wanted to know where the seishi was, and you lied to them! You taught me that lies and deceit are wrong, mother. How is what you just did not wrong?"

"They want to take you away from me! They're strangers - "

"One of them is Suzaku no Chichiri, mother! He's no stranger, he's one of the greatest living heroes in Konan!"

" - and I don't care how many Kutounese he killed in the war, he's still a stranger and for all we know he wants to hurt you! I forbid you to talk to them."

"Mother!" Chosei was too shocked to put any sort of venom into the word. "You...but you can't..."

"Oh yes I can. Until you can support yourself and maintain your own household, you live in my house by my rules and that's final. If I hear that you've decided to go against my wishes, I'll talk with Shouka's parents about the two of you spending so much time together. It's really not proper; she's of marrying age now, and can't afford to have her reputation sullied."

The shock Chosei had been feeling quickly turned to anger, and he had to bite back some words he would _really_ regret. His mother knew that he and Shouka were incredibly close, and...well, he was planning on asking to court her soon. He didn't want to hurt Shouka's reputation, _especially_ since he knew that if Shouka's father thought that Chosei were hurting Shouka's chances of marrying well he'd prevent them from ever seeing each other again - he really didn't like Chosei at all. But at the same time, he abhorred lying; it was wrong to lie, and he wanted to make sure those two strangers knew the truth.

This was so confusing.

---

"So as far as you know, there is no seishi here in Chokou?"

The doctor nodded his assent. "I've been the village physician for fifteen years, now. I know most all of it's inhabitants well, and I've never seen any sort of glowing symbol on any of them."

Chichiri looked thoughtful. "The seishi symbols don't always glow, no da; they usually look like a scar or a tattoo. Are you sure none of the children of this village have a strangely-shaped scar? Perhaps in the form of the word 'chariot'?"

"Chosei does." The doctor's daughter piped up immediately. "On his left palm - I always wondered how it got there. It's really light, so it's hard to see."

Her father gave her a stern look. "I'm sure that he cut himself doing some work around his mother's inn, Shouka. You, young lady, know better than to cut in on an adult's conversation."

Shouka ducked her head and apologized, not sounding sorry in the least. At her father's glance, she bid the group goodnight, heading up towards her bedroom as he sighed heavily.

"My daughter is close friends with that young man. She's rather flighty and imaginative at times, I'm afraid; please, don't mind her remarks."

"We weren't offended, sir; she's nearly an adult herself, after all." Chichiri responded, standing. "Thank you for speaking with us, no da."

"Yes, thank you sir. We're sorry to have bothered you." Yui repeated, bowing.

"It was no trouble at all; I only wish I could have been more help. It's gotten rather dark, are you sure you two don't want to stay?"

"No, we should be okay no da." Chichiri supplied, picking up his shakujou from it's position beside the door. "Thank you for your hospitality, though."

Yui wanted to stay and ask more questions, but Chichiri was already holding the door open for her, so she instead ducked into another quick bow and left, her companion close behind.

---

"And Chichiri-sama asked...about _me_?"

Shouka nodded. "It was really weird, Chosei. He asked specifically about the symbol on your hand too." She grabbed for the younger teen's left hand, inspecting the scar there in the moonlight. "Yeah, see, it's "chariot", and that's the one he asked about. D'you think he already knew?"

Chosei pulled his hand away a little more quickly than was possibly necessary, face burning. "W-well, um...Chichiri-sama didn't say anything to me about it..."

"You don't have to call him "sama" you know." Shouka pointed out, flopping back against the grass to look up at the sky. She pointed to the stars. "Look, there's Mitsukake and there's Chichiri. They're right next to each other. You two are like equals practically!"

"Yeah, I suppose, but he's my elder. Isn't that disrespectful?"

The fifteen-year-old gave Chosei a Look. "You're almost too respectful sometimes Chosei. I mean, you used to call me Shouka-sempai all the time, and we've been best friends since we were little."

"It feels a little strange not to call you Shouka-sempai." He admitted sheepishly. "But father always said that the people we lo-care about deserve the most respect because they put up with us no matter what."

Shouka rolled over to face him, a little surprised, before smiling gently. She hugged him, holding the thirteen-year-old close. "Oh, Chosei. You really miss him, don't you...?"

Chosei tried to pull away half-heartedly, stammering about propriety and reputation and their parents, but Shouka shushed him. "I don't care what anybody else thinks, you know that. We're best friends, and anyway, who's going to see?"

He relaxed a little, leaning back so they could look at the stars together. "Shouka, if Chichiri-sa...Chichiri is asking about me, I might have to go away."

"Then go. You're one of Suzaku's chosen; taking care of an inn isn't in the cards for your future. Besides", she tapped his nose playfully, "I'll still be here when you get back. And I expect to hear _everything_."

They were silent for a few minutes, holding each other and just watching the night sky. Shouka shifted, sitting up and adjusting...something. Chosei watched curiously as she messed with something around her neck.

"Shouka, what are you --"

"Ah!" She finally said, triumphant. "Here."

The necklace she was holding was expensive and fine, a thin silver medallion hanging on a gossamer-fine thread. Chosei knew it was one of Shouka's most valued possessions - she never took it off for anybody or anything. At his confused look, she sighed, looking a little sad.

"It...it belonged to Kasumi. My older sister, remember? She gave it to me the day before she died. She said that this necklace would keep me safe as I got older, 'cause she'd be able to watch over me through it. I want you to have it."

"S-shouka, I couldn't, I mean, it's really important to you and..."

She shushed him. "Not for keeps! I want it back someday. But...until you get home. That way you'll always have me with you, and you'll always remember I'm back here waiting for you."

He nodded, accepting the fragile silver chain with some trepidation, looking over the beautifully-carved medallion before carefully clasping it around his neck. The necklace fell to hide under his tunic, near his heart.

"...thank you, Shouka. I'll wear it always."

---

The next morning dawned _far_ too early for Yui's liking, Chichiri shaking her awake before the sun had even thought of rising. She moaned, muscles she didn't realize she had protesting. Apparently she and horses got along even worse than she'd thought - her entire body hurt from yesterday's ride and fall.

"D'we have to get up now?"

She couldn't see Chichiri's smile, but it was audible. "Yes no da. You need to get up and get yourself moving; it won't hurt as much that way. After a couple days you'll be used to riding."

"But in the meantime, I'll be miserable." She finished for him, sitting up with an exaggerated grimace. "Okay, okay, _tou-san_, I'm up."

"Good. We need to get going as soon as possible, no da. I know I said we should go to the capitol first, but I think we should head for Reikaku-zan instead na no da. Tasuki's there, and it would be good to have him with us."

"Well, you know this area a little better than I do, so Reikaku-zan it is then. How long should it take?"

"Without stops, on horseback? We can make it in a day no da."

Yui groaned again. "On _horseback_?"

Chichiri didn't reply, and she followed him downstairs to breakfast, complaining good-naturedly a little longer about pains and evils of an equine nature.

---

The sun had just risen in Tokyo, and the Sukunami household was silent, save for the occasional snore. The four adults had all finally fallen asleep, leaning against one another, the book loosely secured in Taka's hands.

Hikari tilted her head to one side, inspecting the quiet scene in front of her. Why were Uncle Keisuke and Uncle Tetsuya here? And why were kaa-san and tou-san reading the Bad Book? Momma had said she wasn't allowed to even touch it!

It was probably a grown-up thing. She put her hands on her hips, little face screwed up in a pout. She was almost 2 now! Didn't that count as a grown-up?

She glanced at the clock behind her - almost 0700. Hikari had a playdate for today! They couldn't sleep all day; _somebody_ had to take her to obaa-san's house!

"Kaa-san? Kaa-san, tou-san, wake up, wake up!"

With a groan, Taka opened one eye, blearily looking at his little daughter. "...Hikari, what are you doin' up, sweetie?"

"I'm goin' to baa-san's today, amember?" She said, using much the same tone one would use to explain a concept to someone particularly dense. Taka bit back a groan, poking his wife in the shoulder.

"Beloved, naptime's over, we're on parent duty for the next hour."

Miaka groaned, muttering darkly under her breath about babies and small children and sleep. She didn't do well on little sleep, neverminding it was her fault she hadn't gotten to bed on time.

"Alright, alright...you wanna get her bathed and dressed, I'll make breakfast?"

---

Chosei looked at the small pile of clothes and assorted belongings. It wasn't much - then again, he didn't have much, not really. They were a poor working-class family, so he didn't have many niceties.

After spending most of the night in the field with Shouka, he'd helped her home, returning to the inn to think. Her words kept echoing in his head.

_"You're one of Suzaku's chosen; taking care of an inn isn't in the cards for your future."_

He hadn't slept at all last night, those words running over and over themselves in his head. He'd known he was a seishi since he was quite small; one of his first clear memories was his power appearing for the first time, actually. And chichi had been so, so proud...but okaa-san was always a little apprehensive. She didn't like the fact he was a seishi - she said that seishi died, and she didn't want him to die.

But he couldn't live here forever! Even if he wanted to just stay at home and run the inn and live with Shouka (Chosei blushed mightily at the thought)...he couldn't. Okaa-san didn't like the fact that he was a seishi, but that didn't change the symbol on his left palm. He _had_ to fulfill his destiny, and that meant leaving.

Still...Chosei hesitated as he picked up the satchel. Chichiri-sama and Yui-sama hadn't approached him today. They probably wouldn't, either; okaa-san had done a good job of scaring them off, after all. He could just --

_No, Chosei. You know Shouka wants you to fulfill whatever destiny being Mitsukake leads to, not run from it. For Shouka's sake, you have to do it!_

With new resolve, Chosei pushed open his bedroom door...and came face-to-face with his mother. His eyes widened and he backpedaled, but she didn't look angry. She looked sad...

"Cho -- Mitsukake. My son. You're leaving, aren't you...?"

She trailed off, looking down, and sighed. "I guess it's unavoidable. I just -- wanted to protect you. After your father passed, I tried my best to be a good mother, but it's so hard...you were always closer to Kenji than me. I didn't know what to do. I already lost Kenji, and then those two came and were asking about you and that meant you were going to leave. I -- I panicked."

Chosei watched his mother, a quiet sort of understanding passing between the two of them as she shook with the effort of keeping back tears. His okaa-san was really quite young, wasn't she? He'd never thought about it before, but she was much younger than most of his friends' moms. It must have been hard, to be in the prime of her life with a teenager to raise and a business to run without any help.

"Okaa-san, it's okay. Really." He hugged his mother, letting the bag drop to the ground. "I promise I'll come back home. I won't leave you alone, okay? I know dad's gone, but...you don't have to be sad anymore. I'm here."

She shook a little longer, her breathing ragged, before pulling away with a watery smile. "...hey. Who's the adult here, huh? Don't worry about your ol' okaa-san, she'll be fine. You, young man, need to get going. You'd better not give Chichiri-sama any trouble, or you'll be in big trouble when you get home."

Chosei nodded, swinging the bag over his shoulder. "I won't, okaa-san, I promise!"

---

Yui looked back at the village, just starting to stir in the early morning light. "Are you sure there's nothing else we can do, Chichiri?"

Chichiri nodded with a sigh. "I'm afraid so no da."

Yui frowned. "But...we really need _all_ the seishi. We can't summon the gods without them. This isn't a good start --"

"Wait!!"

A small figure was running towards them, a bag swinging at his hip and banging against him as he ran. As he got closer, Yui could make out the brilliant blue eyes and messy black hair of the innkeeper's son.

"Wait, you can't leave yet! You...you haven't found Mitsukake!"

"Oh?" Chichiri asked the teenager, who was doubled over and gasping for air. "How do you know we haven't no da?"

He reddened, looking embarrassed to be actually addressing _the_ Suzaku no Chichiri in casual conversation.

"Um...well...because I'm Mitsukake."

-----

And chapter 4 is a _wrap_! It's a little shorter than the others, but I would've felt like I was dragging it out had I continued it.

Hope you guys like Chosei - he's a little shy and insecure, but I promise, once you get to know him, he's really quite a neat guy. He's a little tough to write, since I am definitely not a shy person by any stretch, and I hope I did okay and it didn't come off too hokey.

Oh, Japanese! There's a slight difference in tone and formality between addressing a family member by the full word (okaa, otou) or it's abbreviated form (kaa, tou). The former is much, much more polite. Kaa or tou-san are polite-familiar, and haha and chichi are informal and very familiar - you'd only use them when addressing your own parents in private. That's the only real Japanese I used this chapter, I think. Basically, think of the difference in "mother" and "mom" - that's the jist of the difference in "okaa" and "kaa" and so on.

I'll be e-mailing review responses as soon as this is posted. Yet again, thank you guys for the thoughtful, kind reviews. They're really wonderful and (among other things) are what motivate me to keep writing, so thank you! Review if you'd like, and until next chapter, I remain

otaku


	5. Chapter 5

Pheonix Ashes

A Fushigi Yuugi universe deathfic written by otaku-no-miko

Length-no longer than maybe 20 chapters, I hope.

Pairings- None so far.

Rating- PG-13, overall; T for this chapter. Tasuki, Kouji, and I all need our mouths washed out with soap.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Fushigi Yuugi; all rights, creative and otherwise, belong to Yuu Watase and her companies.

Author's Notes:

This chapter.

This. Freaking. Chapter.

This was painful for me. Every time I would sit down to write I'd get maybe a quarter to halfway through and go "lolyeahno" and scrap it. It sucked. I finally pushed this out, I hope it was worth the wait (if I still even have any readers…).

* * *

The drive home was fairly uneventful – Taka only hit two curbs, which for him was a personal best. Miaka didn't even slip her shoes off before running into the living room, where the Universe of the Four Gods was sitting, nondescript and still. She was already scanning the page, brow furrowed with the effort of translation, when Taka slipped in, holding two glasses of water.

"Oh, thank you itoshii. Do you want to read or…?"

Taka shook his head; he had yet to read and as far as he was concerned that was fine. Miaka was already reading by the time he sat, apparently either unbothered or unwilling to argue with his recalcitrance.

"The dragon priestess and the Stars of Suzaku traveled eastward, to the mountain where the Wing constellation awaited their arrival…"

* * *

The sun was low and heavy on the horizon and they still had yet to reach the summit of Mt. Reikaku, where Tasuki and his bandits had made their home. Chichiri pulled his horse to a slow shuffling walk, mask furrowed in concentration.

Chosei, who up to this point had been concentrating hard on his saddle's pommel, looked curiously at Chichiri. "What's wrong, Chichiri-sama? Are we close?"

Yui looked back at the two Suzaku seishi, bringing her horse around to face them. "It's getting dark…does it always get dark this early?"

Chichiri shook his head. "No na no da, there's probably a storm coming in. We're still a couple hours or so away from the stronghold..."

Chosei wrinkled his nose. This grand adventure Shouka had imagined for him wasn't as easy as he'd thought it would be. "…so we have to ride in the rain?"

"Is that wise?" Yui asked nervously. She'd been doing better today – her horse didn't seem to hate her as much – but she didn't want to see what would happen when they couldn't see anymore. Chichiri, to his credit, seemed to notice her discomfort, and sent her an apologetic smile before nodding in assent to Chosei's question.

"Hai no da. We should be able to beat the storm if we keep going."

With a whispered phrase and a snap of his wrist, a glowing snake of energy twisted itself around Chichiri's forearm, casting a blueish tint on the ground and their faces. A gentle click and his mount was urged forward, a sudden blast of wind making the enchanted light dance eerily across the trees. Yui bit back a shiver and a groan as her horse fell rather heavily in line – the clodding pace of the trot reminded her muscles just how uncomfortable she really was on horseback.

* * *

" 'ey, Kouji!"

The blue-haired bandit looked up, absent-mindedly placing his stone on the crude _go_ board in the middle of the banquet hall table and picking the delicate white stone of his opponent off the board. With a practiced flick he sent the stone spinning at his opponent's forehead, to a great chorus of jeers and shouts from his audience.

"Yeah Genrou? Wassup?"

Genrou smirked widely, one pointed canine glinting in the firelight. "Not much, jus' watchin' you become a _girl._ Seriously, _go_?"

"Watch it you. It's a game of ultimate strategy an' skill, somethin' _your_ rocks-fer-brains can't understand." Kouji shot back with a good-natured grin.

"Yeah, yeah, don' get yer skirts in a twist. You seen Chichiri? He said he'd be here few hours ago."

"Nah." Kouji frowned. "But Tai's on watch an' he said there's a big storm comin' in. If he ain't here soon he's gonna get caught in it."

Genrou's smirk faltered some – storms on the mountain were always bad news, but lately they'd been getting worse. He'd actually had to completely rope off one section of the stronghold as too damaged for living in after the last one. Kouji sighed heavily at the contemplative look on his friend's face – it never boded well for him when Genrou actually looked like he was thinking.

"Alright guys, game's over fer now. Got Official Boss Business ta do."

* * *

They hadn't been able to beat the storm, in spite of Chichiri's prediction, and the dense tree-line only served to deepen the darkness that had quickly overcome the three travelers. Yui squinted against the dark light, looking for the small slash of cerulean light that meant Chichiri was still in front of her. The rain and wind only complicated matters, making sight nearly impossible.

"Chichiri!"

There. A glint of blue, far enough ahead that she had almost missed it. She urged her unhappy mount forward, inwardly sighing in relief. If she'd gotten lost they would have never been able to reach Reikaku-zan tonight!

A crack of lightning split the sky, a spattering of light blinding the blonde momentarily and illuminating the monk not fifteen paces away. She rode on, close enough that her legs brushed against Chichiri's mount before stopping.

"This storm is awful, Chichiri, I can't even see!"

The mage somehow still managed to sound completely calm, even as another roll of thunder covered most of his words.

"…there na no da. It's not far!"

Indeed, when another slanting shot of lightning darted across the forest, Yui could see the stone gates of Reikaku's stronghold looming ahead, dark and ominous. They both pushed on, Chichiri holding Yui's horse steady next to his, until they could see two figures become illuminated in the blue glow of Chichiri's flickering ki. Yui could make out the hurried end of words cried into the wind and a bright gout of flame emerged where one of the shadowed figures had been.

"Oi! Chiri!"

* * *

"Chichiri-sama! Yui-sama!"

Chosei shuddered against the cold, turning his mount away from the slice of the rain and searching the darkness desperately for some sign, any sign that he wasn't as hopelessly lost as he felt.

Just like the last three times he had searched, he found nothing.

The teenager knew he shouldn't be panicking, knew that he needed to just stop and think, but all he could think about was how _cold_ he was and how wonderful it would be to watch this storm from the safety of the inn with Shouka and a warm cup of tea…

Another burst of lightning, and this time Chosei caught something he had missed previously – what appeared to be a small area of cover untouched by the storm. Father had always said to just find cover and stay put if you got lost, that cave would be perfect!

Chosei dismounted, and his unhappy horse blew a gust of hot breath against his neck as he pulled the animal forward, fumbling towards the scant area of shelter. His hands touched tree bark, blessedly dry, before coming in contact with cool stone. The tree must have been next to a natural den, his luck was turning around!

Still shivering fiercely, Chosei wasted no time in tying his mount off with trembling fingers at the den's entrance and crawling in a little further (not too much further – if an animal had made this den it's home the last thing he wanted to do was frighten it). He stripped his wet shirt off, wringing the water out of the garment. As he set it down so that the fabric could attempt to dry, his hand brushed against something warm and…furry?

A shot of lightning, followed by the sharp crack of thunder, covered Chosei's terrified scream.

* * *

Yui had never met Suzaku no Tasuki – the last time she had seen him in person, he'd been screaming a spell at the demon god Tenkou to aid in his destruction. She'd read of his part in helping restore Taka's memory – cheered when he helped destroy the demons Ren had set on her friends, seethed when he attempted to make Miaka his…

Yes, she thought with a bitter downturn of her lips, that part she had not been impressed by.

Other than a hint of wrinkles around his laughing eyes, there was no sign that the man before her was in his late 20's. Right now, laughing with Chichiri over something inconsequential, he looked like a carefree teenager; if it weren't for the fact that they were in an ancient Chinese bandit camp, Yui would almost expect him to be holding a c_hu-hai _and inviting her to a club.

Instead of breaking off the seishi reunion, she turned to Kouji, who'd been tending to their horses while she and Chichiri got dry.

"Kouji-san, right?"

He snorted. "Look, I know I'm older'n you, girl, but I definitely ain't no –san yet. Jus' Kouji's fine."

Yui smiled slightly. "Okay, okay. Kouji. Have your men had any luck finding Chosei?"

The blue-haired bandit frowned then. His men hadn't checked back in recently; when Chichiri and Yui had shown up the first thing they asked about was the teenager they'd been travelling with, the reincarnation of Mitsukake. Tasuki had told him to send two or three men out on a search party – if anyone knew these woods it was the Reikaku bandits.

He motioned for Yui to follow him, the pair silent save for the rainwater sloshing in Yui's wet boots as they headed back to the main entrance. Kouji flagged down one of the guards on duty, a boy who couldn't have been older than 15.

"Tai, th' search party back yet?"

The guard didn't so much nod as shake, apparently so unnerved at speaking with the co-leader of the famed Reikaku bandits twice in the same day. "T-they're in the main room, Kouji-sama. It was raining too hard…"

Kouji swore. "Buncha pussies! Th' Reikaku bandits aren't scared of a fuckin' rainstorm! Where're their horses at, kid?"

A trembling finger pointed towards the stables, a separate building barely visible through the downpour, and with a huff Kouji turned to Yui, pulling his collar up to protect his neck from the rain.

"Sorry 'bout that exchange, Yui. Can ya go get monk-boy and Genrou? We're gonna hafta mount our own li'l search party."

Yui was already halfway down the hall before he could finish. Inwardly she seethed. Chosei was barely 13, but these full-grown men were too scared to get a little wet to find him!

Chichiri and Tasuki had just been pouring some tea – Tasuki's well-spiked with _sake_ – when Yui re-appeared, tossing the blanket she'd been using to warm herself near the fire to dry and grabbing a bandit's cape. The two shared a look before Chichiri got up, _shakujou_ jangling softly with each footfall.

"Yui-san, where are you going no da? You're still not dry."

"Neither is Chosei." She snapped, before noticing who had spoken and flushing. "Sorry Chichiri. The other bandits couldn't find Chosei, so Kouji and I are heading out to look for him."

Chichiri nodded – Yui's outburst was understandable, he was worried about Chosei too. He had an unfair advantage over her though; through the tenuous connection all seishi shared, he was aware of his seishi brothers in a way she wasn't. If Chosei were hurt, he would –

Fear, sharp and biting, crackled through his mind, a flash of verdant green nearly blinding him. That hadn't been his emotion, it had to have been Chosei's. The mage's movements picked up pace considerably, good eye narrowing.

"Stay here with Kouji and Tasuki, Yui-san."

Yui frowned. "But, Kouji's already getting the horses…"

"I can find Chosei faster alone. He's not far."

Tasuki, picking up on the considerable drop in pitch and formality, motioned Yui back to the table with him. He long ago had gotten over being miffed by Chichiri's insistence on doing things solo; it was just one of the mage's quirks.

"Come on Seiryuu no miko. 'Chiri here knows these woods 's good as any bandit, he'll be fine."

With a whirling toss of his _kasa _and a soft flurry of incantation, Chichiri disappeared, the wide-brimmed straw hat landing gently on the ground before glowing and disappearing to join its master.

* * *

When Chichiri re-appeared, it took his eye a moment to adjust. Once his vision was back, he murmured the incantation for his "mage-light" (as Tasuki had dubbed it one drunken night). The world was illuminated once again with an eerie blue glow, and he fixed his eye to the left, where he could sense Chosei's ki.

He could see two wolves then, snarling and snapping at the entrance of what looked like their den. A small figure wielding a branch was warding them off, shouting at the animals every time they snapped at his outstretched fingers.

* * *

"Back! Get back!" Chosei yelled, another swing of the oversized tree branch nearly toppling the teen over. The wolves snarled at him and his weapon, one of them catching the wood in its strong jaws and snapping, the wood splintering under the pressure.

The other wolf used the momentary offset to launch itself at Chosei's jugular, eyes glinting as another spark of lightning streaked across the sky…

"_Busoukaijo!_"

A bright yellow flash knocked the yelping wolf into the cave wall. The other wolf released the tree branch to turn and snarl at the source of the light before slinking away slowly. Chosei's eyes re-adjusted, focusing on the figure advancing towards him…

* * *

He'd been in time. Chichiri's heart had frozen when one of the wolves jumped at Chosei, his mind racing furiously to find one spell, one incantation, _anything_ to get that wolf away from the teenager. He almost didn't even realize he had cast the spell until it burst forth from the head of his _shakujou_, striking the wolf neatly before its fangs could bear down on the boy's neck.

The other wolf left before he could whirl and hit it with a burst of magic, leaving just a trembling teenager, looking very much like he wanted nothing more than to cry but having too much pride to be seen.

Chichiri rushed to the teen's side, catching his arm as Chosei swayed slightly, the boy's face ashen. "_Maa, maa_, the wolves are gone no da. You're okay now."

Chosei leaned against Chichiri gratefully, shuddering against the older man's shoulder. He was _freezing_. "I-I think they were more interested in him than me."

Chichiri's mask wrinkled, the false face blank as he looked past the teenager's shoulder into the shadowed confines of the cave. All he could see was the teenager's white shirt, tossed off on the ground and covered in mud.

With a small groan, the shirt moved.

* * *

From somewhere in the stronghold, there was a yell. Then a loud thud, and silence.

Yui jumped. "What was that? Is everything ok? Should we-"

Tasuki scoffed at the blonde's concerns, waving a hand dismissively. " 's nothing, Seiryuu no miko. We're bandits; we drink, we steal things, an' we fight."

Yui glanced at Tasuki incredulously before looking away with a sniff. Figures he wouldn't care about his men fighting. The conceited little…

Her venomous train of thought was derailed when another bandit yelled from somewhere else in the stronghold. Jeez, did these guys ever sleep?

The yelling got louder, and Yui looked to the bandit leader once more, this time unable to keep the bark from her voice.

"Everything ok _now?_"

Tasuki looked taken aback by her tone for a moment before rolling his eyes and standing, tessen clinking against his hip. Who did this woman think she was, ordering him around in his own stronghold?

Before he could reach the hallway to the stronghold's entrance, Chichiri burst through the door, his bangs sticking wetly to the mask. Chosei crowded in the doorway behind him, the teenager nearly swallowed in a blanket.

"Chichiri! Chosei!" Yui was out of her seat in a heartbeat, frowning as she placed a hand to the teenager's forehead. "Chosei, you're burning up! And you're covered in scratches!"

Chosei shook his head hard, water droplets flying from his hair and eyelashes. "No, I'm okay Yui-san. He's not though."

Yui frowned before looking where Chosei had gestured. Chichiri had gently set down the bundle that had been contained within his _kasa_, murmuring something to a gnarled old bandit beside him. The bundle fell open to reveal a child who couldn't have been older than six, absolutely covered in scratches and cuts that were already starting to ooze angry green pus. The boy's entire torso was a mass of bruises and one of his arms looked broken.

Where had they found this kid?!

The child moaned in pain as the bandit's physician jostled him, eyes snapping open with a low, weak snarl. He cast wild eyes all around the room before landing on Yui's face.

The young woman gasped, something inside her heart seeming to click in place. She'd never really understood what Miaka had meant by sensing ki and knowing her seishi before she'd met them but something felt so _familiar _about the small child…

Inside the bag she'd left at the table, the mirror began to glow a soft cerulean, the character "bi" emblazoned across it's front.

* * *

Author's Notes (May 19, 2013)  
So this chapter took me a while. A long while. I had to re-discover my muse, then my muse had to re-discover _her_ muse, then her muse had to learn how to write again.

Japanese stuff!

I took a potshot at Japanese drivers (to my Western sensibilities, they were horrible drivers…), and the fact that Miaka didn't take her shoes off is a nod to how anxious she was – while I would sometimes forget to remove my shoes when entering a friend's house or a restaurant and it was accepted due to my being American, a Japanese person never would forget that social nicety.

I mentioned a drink called _chu-hai_. You can either get this stuff at a bar or in convenience stores, where they sell for about 500 yen (~6 dollars) depending on flavor (common flavors include citrus and grape). They're fairly strong alcoholic drinks – citrus drinks are roughly 12-15% alcohol and the "girly" fruity drinks are roughly 5-8%. For comparison, an average beer is generally 6 or 7% alcohol. They haven't hit it big in America yet, but if you're of age and interested you can probably find them in Japanese restaurants or Asian markets.

_Sake_ is already established as a favorite drink of Tasuki's – sake is fermented rice wine and the stuff packs a punch!

Magelight is a spell in _The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim_. When cast, it shoots a ball of light at a surface you're pointed at and the light stays there for 60 seconds. Not that I've ever used it while sneaking through caves and using my bow as a weapon of mass destruction… ;)

_Busoukaijo_ translates to "disarm".

"_Maa, maa_" is something like "its okay" or "hush, hush". Just a nonsense comfort phrase.

Alright, so fair warning: chapter 7 is a break from the norm where this story is concerned. It's titled "Prelude 1" and will be set and structured a little differently than the usual in this story. Just keep in mind the beginning of chapter 1 and that this story has some "Inception"-styled elements and you'll be fine :)

Thank you for staying with me on this crazy journey and see you next chapter! Who is the little boy they found? (If you've read the original draft of this you already know, and I can't wait to actually introduce him :) )

Also: what is up with this site's new hatred of line breaks? If I hadn't reviewed this before posting I would have ended up with a very confusing chapter!

-otaku


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